<p>Käppala wastewater treatment plant situated on the island of Lidingö northeast of Stockholm is running a project during 2004 and 2005 with the purpose to map out the capacity of anaerobic digestion in the digesters that treat primary and excess sludge. The purpose of this thesis work, which is part of that project, was to characterize the present anaerobic digestion process and to investigate its capacity to treat other organic wastes such as restaurant waste and waste from water works. To decide the potential of both methane and biogas production from different substrates batch laboratory tests were carried out. To imitate the anaerobic digestion process at Käppala continuous tests with small scale reactors were carried out. These reactors were later fed with restaurant waste.</p><p>The batch laboratory tests showed that primary sludge had a potential biogas and methane production of 0,62 and 0,35 Ndm3/g VS respectively after 40 days of digestion. After 15 to 20 days of digestion (average retention time in the digester at Käppala wastewater treayment plant that treats primary sludge) the biogas production was between 0,55 and 0,60 Ndm3/g VS, which is within the range of the production at the digester that treats the primary sludge. This leads to the conclusion that the digestion of primary sludge is well functioning at the plant.</p><p>Batch laboratory tests showed that excess sludge had a potential biogas and methane production of 0,31 and 0,16 Ndm3/g VS respectively after 40 days of digestion.</p><p>Batch laboratory tests with restaurant waste showed a potential biogas and methane production of 0,81 and 0,38 Ndm3/g VS respectively after 47 days of digestion. This means that the total production of methane gas can increase with 7-8 per cent with an annual load of 3500 tonnes of restaurant waste (estimated amount of available restaurant waste). Tests to imitate transport of restaurant waste with influent wastewater showed that 35-60 per cent of the increase of gas production would be “washed out” if the waste was tranported this way to the plant.</p><p>Batch laboratory tests with waste from water works showed that no gas was produced from this substrate.</p><p>The continuous tests with small scale reactors which were fed with restaurant waste resulted in an increase of biogas production with 12 per cent (corresponding to an annual load of 3500 tonnes of restaurant waste) compared to the present process.</p> / <p>Avloppsreningsverket Käppalaverket på Lidingö driver under år 2004-2005 ett projekt med syftet att kartlägga rötningskapaciteten i den befintliga anläggningen där primär- och överskottsslam behandlas i två rötkammare. Syftet med examensarbetet, som är en del av kartläggningsprojektet, var att karakterisera Käppalaverkets nuvarande rötningsprocess och undersöka processens kapacitet att behandla organiskt avfall i form av restaurangavfall och vatttenverksslam. För att bestämma potentialen hos olika substrat har satsvisa utrötningar genomförts. För att efterlikna processen på Käppalaverket har kontinuerliga försök med små reaktorer bedrivits. Till dessa reaktorer har sedan restaurangavfall tillsats.</p><p>De satsvisa utrötningarna av primärslam visade en potentiell bio- respektive metangasproduktion om 0,62 respektive 0,35 Ndm3/g VS efter 40 dagars utrötning. Efter 15-20 dagars utrötning (som är den genomsnittliga uppehållstiden i Käppalaverkets rötkammare där primärslammet behandlas) var biogasproduktionen mellan 0,55 och 0,60 Ndm3/g VS, vilket är inom samma intervall som vid den verkliga driften av rötkamrarna vid Käppalaverket. Detta betyder att utrötningen av primärslammet fungerar bra vid Käppalaverket.</p><p>De satsvisa utrötningarna av överskottsslammet visade en potentiell bio- respektive metangasproduktion om 0,31 respektive 0,16 Ndm3/g VS efter 40 dagars utrötning.</p><p>För restaurangavfallet visade de satsvisa utrötningarna på en potentiell bio- respektive metangasproduktion om 0,81 respektive 0,38 Ndm3/g VS efter 47 dagars utrötning.</p><p>Detta innebär att den totala metangasproduktionen vid Käppalaverket skulle kunna ökas med 7-8 procent om 3500 ton restaurangavfall skulle tas emot årligen (uppskattad mängd restaurangavfall som finns att tillgå). Försök att efterlikna transport av restaurangavfallet via avloppsledningsnätet visade dock att 35-60 procent av den ökade metangasproduktionen skulle ”tvättas ur” om avfallet fördes till verket via avloppsledningsnätet.</p><p>Försöken med satsvis utrötning av vattenverksslam visade att detta substrat inte bidrar med någon produktion av biogas eller metangas.</p><p>De kontinuerliga försöken med tillsats av restaurangavfall (motsvarande en årlig belastning med 3500 ton) resulterade i en ökning av biogasproduktionen med 12 procent.</p>

<p>This report is commissioned by the Water and Sewage Agency in The City of Mariehamn, Åland. The basic aim is to investigate positive or negative effects of a relocation of the sewage pipe from a wastewater treatment plant, Lotsbroverket. The environmental licence of Lotsbroverket is to be revised and The Environmental Appeal Board at Åland’s Government and Administrative Board has made demands that several possible locations in an outer water area should be examined. The present location of the sewage pipe is in Svibyviken, which has been classified as an “inner water area”.</p><p>The objective of this work is to study to which extent the nutrient loading from Lotsbroverket influence the environmental conditions in Svibyviken, and to investigate the suitability of different locations of the wastewater pipe from Lotsbroverket.</p><p>The way a coastal area looks, i.e., its morphometry, determines to a large extent its ecological characteristics. The investigated coastal area was digitalized from a nautical chart. The software used for this was Roots 3.3 and the GIS-tool ArcGIS 8.3. The localization of the coastal boundaries for the entire coastal area and for investigated sub-areas was determined according to the topographical bottleneck method, i.e., the boundary lines were drawn where the exposure of the coast to the open sea is minimized.</p><p>A process-based dynamic mass-balance model for total phosphorous has been used in this study. Using this model, one can estimate and quantify the effects of different nutrient sources in coastal areas. All the fluxes of phosphorous to, from and within the defined areas were studied and ranked. Model simulations have shown how changes in any of the phosphorous fluxes influence the mean monthly concentrations of total phosphorous. The situation for total nitrogen was determined with a statistical/empirical regression model between phosphorous and nitrogen concentrations. To estimate the expected ecological effects from a change in the nutrient loading from Lotsbroverket, statistical/empirical correlations between modelled nutrient concentrations and ecological effect variables have been used. Standard effect variables for the study of eutrophication effects in coastal areas are, e.g., the chlorophyll concentration, Secchi depth and oxygen saturation in deep water. These variables have also been used in this study.</p><p>It has been shown that (1) the nutrient concentrations of the Baltic Sea controls the concentration of nutrients in the studied areas to a very large extent, (2) that the nutrient fluxes from Lotsbroverket are small compared to the nutrient fluxes from the Baltic Sea and hence also of minor importance for the nutrient state of the receiving water system, (3) that the influence of the nutrient emissions from Lotsbroverket are most noticeable in the present inner recipient, Svibyviken, and (4) that the impact logically decreases with distance between the location of the sewage pipe and boundary line to the open sea. The overall conclusion is that no major improvement of the conditions in Svibyviken can be expected by a reduction or a relocation of the nutrient emissions from Lotsbroverket.</p> / <p>Detta examensarbete är ett uppdrag av VA-verket vid Mariehamns stad, Åland, med syfte att utreda effekter av en eventuell flyttning av avloppsreningsverket Lotsbroverkets utloppsledning. Inför en revidering av Lotsbroverkets miljötillstånd har Miljöprövningsnämnden vid Ålands landskapsregering ställt villkor på att tillståndshavaren skall utreda möjligheter till att avleda det renade avloppsvattnet till ett yttre vattenområde. Utloppsledningen mynnar i dagsläget i Svibyviken, vilken har klassificerats som ett inre vattenområde.</p><p>Målsättningen med detta arbete är att belysa vilka ekologiska effekter näringsämnesutsläppet från Lotsbroverket har på primärrecipienten Svibyviken samt att undersöka några andra områdens lämplighet som mottagare av avloppsvattnet. Ett kustområdes utseende och form, det vill säga dess morfometri, avgör i stor utsträckning dess ekologiska förhållanden. För att få en god bild av det undersökta områdets morfometri digitaliserades området utifrån ett sjökort i digitaliseringsprogrammet Roots 3.3, varefter data bearbetades med GIS-verktyget ArcGIS 8.3. Avgränsning av kustområdet som helhet och av undersökta delområden gjordes enligt den topografiska flaskhalsmetoden, det vill säga så att kustens öppenhet mot utanförliggande hav eller vattenområde minimeras (Håkanson et al., 1984; Pilesjö et al., 1991).</p><p>För arbetet har en processbaserad, dynamisk massbalansmodell för totalfosfor använts. Modellen har tagits fram för att eutrofieringseffekter i kustområden skall kunna studeras (Håkanson & Karlsson, 2001). Vid användandet av modellen kan effekter av olika näringsämneskällor uppskattas och kvantifieras. Samtliga totalfosforflöden till, från och inom olika avgränsade områden har studerats och rangordnats. Modellsimuleringar har visat hur förändringar i något av fosfortillflödena inverkar på recipientens månadsmedelkoncentration av totalfosfor. Situationen för kväve har undersökts med hjälp av en statistisk/empirisk regressionsmodell mellan fosfor- och kvävehalt. För att belysa de ekologiska effekter som kan förväntas efter en förändring av Lotsbroverkets fosfor- och kväveutsläpp har statistiska/empiriska kopplingar gjorts mellan näringsämneskoncentrationer och ekologiska effektvariabler. Bra effektvariabler vid undersökning av eutrofieringseffekter är exempelvis klorofyllhalt, siktdjup samt syrgashalt i bottenvattnet. Dessa variabler har också använts i detta arbete.</p><p>Resultaten visar att (1) närsaltskoncentrationerna i de studerade områdena i hög grad styrs av den allmänna eutrofieringsnivån i Östersjön, (2) att utsläppet av näringsämnen från Lotsbroverket inte inverkar på recipientens näringsstatus i någon stor utsträckning, (3) att Lotsbroverkets påverkan är störst på nuvarande recipient, Svibyviken, (4) och att påverkan sedan successivt minskar ju längre ut mot öppna havet utloppsledningen lokaliseras. Slutsatsen av utredningen är att en reduktion av Lotsbroverkets utsläpp eller nylokalisering av utloppsledningen inte kan förväntas ge någon omfattande förbättring av tillståndet i Svibyviken.</p>

Douze contaminants émergents (composés pharmaceutiques, pesticides et hormones) ont été quantifiés et extraits de l'eau de rivières et d’échantillons d'eaux usées municipales. La séparation des solides en suspension est effectuée par filtration des échantillons d'eau. L'effet de filtration sur les concentrations de contaminants dissous a été évaluée afin de minimiser les pertes de composés cibles. Les échantillons ont été lyophilisés et ont été extraits en deux cycles par ultrasons combinés avec une étape de nettoyage sur cartouche d’extraction de type C18. La quantification a été réalisée en utilisant la spectrométrie de masse. Les recouvrements de la méthode pour tous les composés ont varié de 68 à 112% dans toutes les matrices étudiées, sauf pour le sulfaméthoxazole et le diclofénac où des recouvrements plus modestes ont été obtenus (38 à 85%). Les limites de détection pour les 12 analytes dans les sédiments et particules en suspension (SPM) de la rivière variaient de 0,7 à 9,4 ng g-1 et de 21 à 92 ng g-1, pour les échantillons SPM de station d'épuration. Tous les contaminants émergents cibles ont été détectés à des concentrations variant de 3 à 5440 ng g-1 dans les matrices étudiées, les concentrations les plus élevées ont été observées dans les échantillons SPM de stations d'épuration. Une partie importante de certains de ces contaminants est clairement associée aux sédiments de rivière ou aux particules en suspension. L’optimisation des processus de traitement de l'eau et le devenir environnemental doit absolument tenir compte de la fraction de contaminants qui liée à des particules si on espère avoir un bilan de masse raisonnable. / We developed a protocol to quantify 12 emerging contaminants (pharmaceuticals and hormones) and pesticides extracted from suspended particulate matter (SPM) of river water and municipal wastewaters samples. The separation of suspended solids was carried through filtration of water samples. We tested a series of 6 different filter types. The effect of filtration on the concentrations of dissolved contaminants was evaluated in order to minimize losses of target compounds. The river bottom sediments samples were lyophilized and both SPM and sediment samples were subjected to ultrasonic extraction combined with C18 cartridge clean-up. Quantifications were realized using mass spectrometry. The overall method recoveries of all compounds ranged from 38 to 112 % in all studied matrices, poor recoveries were achieved for sulfamethoxazole and diclofenac (recoveries for all other compounds in the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) samples were 68 to 111%). The detection limits in sediments and SPM from river samples for the 12 analytes varied from 0.7 to 9.4 ng g-1 and from 21 to 92 ng g-1 for WWTP SPM samples. All target emerging contaminants were detected with concentrations ranging from 3 to 5440 ng g-1 in the studied matrices, with the highest concentrations observed in WWTP SPM samples. A significant portion of some of those contaminants is clearly associated with bottom sediments or suspended particulates. Optimization of water treatment processes and environmental fate must absolutely consider the fraction of contaminants which is particulate-bound if one hopes to have a reasonable mass balance.

Douze contaminants émergents (composés pharmaceutiques, pesticides et hormones) ont été quantifiés et extraits de l'eau de rivières et d’échantillons d'eaux usées municipales. La séparation des solides en suspension est effectuée par filtration des échantillons d'eau. L'effet de filtration sur les concentrations de contaminants dissous a été évaluée afin de minimiser les pertes de composés cibles. Les échantillons ont été lyophilisés et ont été extraits en deux cycles par ultrasons combinés avec une étape de nettoyage sur cartouche d’extraction de type C18. La quantification a été réalisée en utilisant la spectrométrie de masse. Les recouvrements de la méthode pour tous les composés ont varié de 68 à 112% dans toutes les matrices étudiées, sauf pour le sulfaméthoxazole et le diclofénac où des recouvrements plus modestes ont été obtenus (38 à 85%). Les limites de détection pour les 12 analytes dans les sédiments et particules en suspension (SPM) de la rivière variaient de 0,7 à 9,4 ng g-1 et de 21 à 92 ng g-1, pour les échantillons SPM de station d'épuration. Tous les contaminants émergents cibles ont été détectés à des concentrations variant de 3 à 5440 ng g-1 dans les matrices étudiées, les concentrations les plus élevées ont été observées dans les échantillons SPM de stations d'épuration. Une partie importante de certains de ces contaminants est clairement associée aux sédiments de rivière ou aux particules en suspension. L’optimisation des processus de traitement de l'eau et le devenir environnemental doit absolument tenir compte de la fraction de contaminants qui liée à des particules si on espère avoir un bilan de masse raisonnable. / We developed a protocol to quantify 12 emerging contaminants (pharmaceuticals and hormones) and pesticides extracted from suspended particulate matter (SPM) of river water and municipal wastewaters samples. The separation of suspended solids was carried through filtration of water samples. We tested a series of 6 different filter types. The effect of filtration on the concentrations of dissolved contaminants was evaluated in order to minimize losses of target compounds. The river bottom sediments samples were lyophilized and both SPM and sediment samples were subjected to ultrasonic extraction combined with C18 cartridge clean-up. Quantifications were realized using mass spectrometry. The overall method recoveries of all compounds ranged from 38 to 112 % in all studied matrices, poor recoveries were achieved for sulfamethoxazole and diclofenac (recoveries for all other compounds in the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) samples were 68 to 111%). The detection limits in sediments and SPM from river samples for the 12 analytes varied from 0.7 to 9.4 ng g-1 and from 21 to 92 ng g-1 for WWTP SPM samples. All target emerging contaminants were detected with concentrations ranging from 3 to 5440 ng g-1 in the studied matrices, with the highest concentrations observed in WWTP SPM samples. A significant portion of some of those contaminants is clearly associated with bottom sediments or suspended particulates. Optimization of water treatment processes and environmental fate must absolutely consider the fraction of contaminants which is particulate-bound if one hopes to have a reasonable mass balance.

Au cours de cette thèse, les prévisions de la méthodologie d’Analyse de Cycle de Vie (ACV) sont améliorées, via l’exergie, pour l’analyse et l’éco-conception des procédés. Nous mettons l’accent sur le potentiel de l’analyse exergétique et de la Consommation d’Exergie Cumulée (CExC) dans l’évaluation du critère d’épuisement, de productivité et de recyclabilité des ressources naturelles. Dans ce cadre, les transferts de pollutions et les impacts environnementaux d’un système de traitement des eaux résiduaires (STEP) ont été analysés en relation avec l’exergie consommée (CExC) et de l’exergie détruite (étude a priori). L’étude montre que la décision est différente lorsque l’indicateur d’épuisement des ressources naturelles est basé sur la méthode CExC de celle basée sur la méthode CML. L’amélioration de l’éco-efficacité d’une STEP implique un recyclage des boues en agriculture. La stabilisation des boues par digestion anaérobie réduit le volume des boues et ainsi l’impact du transport en comparaison avec la stabilisation à la chaux. Toutefois, elle réduit le potentiel fertilisant des boues, d’une part, et augmente la consommation d’énergie et l’impact du réchauffement climatique à cause du traitement des retours en tête d’autre part. Bien que la valorisation du biogaz en cogénération réduise la dépendance énergétique de la STEP et améliore son éco-efficacité globale en comparaison avec le chaulage, elle n’offre pas la possibilité à un séchage des boues. Le séchage des boues constitue l’une des recommandations des agriculteurs, bien qu’il n’améliore pas le l’éco-efficacité globale de la STEP, en augmentant l’épuisement et l’exergie détruite des ressources brutes et du biogaz / The focus of the work has been to improve the predictions of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) via exergy for processes analysis and eco-design. The potential of the exergetic analysis and Cumulative Exergy Consumption (CExC) in estimating the criterion of depletion, productivity and recyclability of natural resources has been investigated. In this context, the transfer of pollutants and the environmental impacts of a wastewater treatment system (WWTP) have been analyzed in relation with the consumed exergy (CExC) and the destroyed exergy. The study shows that decision is different if the indicator of depletion of natural resources is based on the method of CExC or on the CML method. The improvement of the overall eco-efficiency of a WWTP involves a recycling of sludge in agriculture. Stabilization of sludge by anaerobic digestion reduces the volume of sludge and consequently the impact of transport in comparison with the stabilization with lime. However, on one hand, it reduces the fertilizer potential of sludge. On the other hand it increases energy consumption and the impact of the global warming because of the treatment of digested sludge supernatant recycled to the WWTP. Although the recovery of biogas by cogeneration reduces the energy dependency of the WWTP and improves its overall eco-efficiency in comparison with the liming scenario, it does not provide the possibility for sludge drying. Drying the sludge is one of the recommendations of farmers, although it does not improve the overall eco-effectiveness of the WWTP, and increases the depletion and the destroyed exergy of raw resources and biogas

Les flux journaliers et horaires de 15 molécules pharmaceutiques à l'entrée d'une station d'épuration ont été mesurés sur 3 ans et modélisés à la fois pour un bassin urbain de 16 000 habitants et un hôpital de 450 lits. Certaines molécules ne sont jamais ou rarement quantifiées. Les flux journaliers vont de 0,6 à 564 g/jour en fonction de la molécule et de la campagne de mesure 24h. Aucune dynamique saisonnière ou hebdomadaire n’a été identifiées. La dynamique des flux horaires des médicaments se distingue des autres polluants et du débit des eaux usées. Les flux horaires mesurés sont sévèrement impactés par le comportement aléatoire des patients lorsque la masse journalière consommée est faible. Ainsi, la dynamique moyenne est difficile à identifier. L'hypothèse principale pour modéliser les flux de médicaments dans les eaux usées est qu'ils résultent des étapes suivantes: ventes ou distributions de médicaments, consommation humaine, métabolisme et excrétion. Les ventes de médicaments pour le bassin urbain et les distributions de l'hôpital ont été collectées à différentes échelles spatiales et temporelles (respectivement 1, 6 et 223 pharmacies et journalières, hebdomadaires et mensuelles). Les plus grandes échelles sont plus fiables pour estimer les niveaux de consommations mais la variabilité des plus petites est plus proche de la variabilité observée dans les mesures. Les quantités de médicaments vendus ou distribués vont de 0,4 à 1 600 patients théoriques par jour en moyenne. En associant les flux journaliers mesurés aux ventes ou aux distributions, aucune corrélation linéaire n'a été trouvée. Un modèle stochastique au pas de temps de la minute est proposé et appliqué aux deux sites. Il produit des résultats fiables et précis pour les flux quotidiens et horaires. Cependant, les résultats sont difficiles à interpréter lorsque seuls quelques patients consomment un médicament. De plus, le modèle ne reproduit pas la spécificité inhérente de l'hôpital. En outre, le modèle est également capable de prédire avec précision le débit des eaux usées domestiques d'un bassin versant urbain, tant pour les volumes quotidiens que pour leurs dynamiques. / Daily and hourly loads of 15 pharmaceutical molecules at the inlet of a wastewater treatment plant have been measured over 3 years and modelled for both an urban catchment of 16 000 inhabitants and a hospital of 450 beds. Some molecules are never or rarely quantified. Daily loads range from 0.6 to 564 g/day depending of the molecule and the 24 h measurement campaign. Seasonal or weekly patterns are not identified. Pharmaceuticals hourly loads dynamics are distinctive from one another and from wastewater flow. The measured hourly loads are severely impacted by the random behaviour of the patients when the daily mass consumed is low. Thus, the average dynamics is difficult to identify. The main hypothesis to model pharmaceuticals loads in wastewater is that they result from the following steps: pharmaceuticals sales or distributions, human consumption, metabolism and excretion. Pharmaceuticals sales for the urban catchment and distribution for the hospital have been collected at different space and timescales (respectively 1, 6 and 223 pharmacies and daily, weekly and monthly). Larger scales are more reliable for magnitude but the variability of the smaller ones is closer to the variability observed in the measurements. The quantities of pharmaceuticals sold or distributed range from 0.4 to 1 600 theoretical patients per day. Associating measured daily loads with sales or distributions, no linear correlation is found. A minute time step stochastic model is proposed and applied to both sites. It produces reliable and accurate results for both daily and hourly loads. However, results are difficult to interpret when only a few patients are consuming a pharmaceutical. Also, the model does not reproduce the inherent specificity of the hospital. In addition, the model is also able to predict the domestic wastewater flow of an urban catchment with great accuracy for both daily volumes and dynamics.

L’utilisation massive des antibiotiques, depuis les années 50, génère une libération importante de ces molécules dans l’environnement (excrétion via les urines et les fèces) que l’on peut retrouver à des concentrations allant de 1 à 100 ng/L dans les eaux usées urbaines. Parce qu’elle réunit microorganismes résistants et antibiotiques, la station d’épuration d’eaux usées urbaines pourrait être une zone propice au transfert des gènes de résistance. Cependant, avec sa position stratégique à l’interface entre les activités humaines et l’environnement, la station d’épuration pourrait constituer un « rempart » contribuant à limiter leur dissémination dans l’environnement.Les paramètres qui influencent ces transferts dans les stations d’épuration sont encore mal connus, en particulier du fait de limitations méthodologiques. Aussi l’objectif de notre travail était de déterminer les facteurs environnementaux influant sur la stabilité et le transfert d’un élément génétique mobile modèle, le plasmide pB10, dans des communautés bactériennes (biomasses de stations d’épuration et sédiments de rivière) maintenues en microcosmes. Jusqu’à présent, les transferts de gènes de résistance ont été principalement étudiés avec des méthodes reposant sur la culture de microorganismes sur milieux sélectifs, dont nous savons aujourd’hui qu’elles sous-estiment les phénomènes observés. Aussi, nous avons élaboré une approche basée sur la PCR quantitative pour détecter la dissémination d’un ADN mobile modèle amené via une bactérie hôte E. coli DH5α. Les couples amorces/sondes très spécifiques ont pu être élaborés en tirant profit de la structure mosaïque du génome bactérien. L’approche proposée repose sur des mesures comparées du nombre de plasmide pB10 et de son hôte bactérien DH5α au cours du temps, où une augmentation du rapport (pB10/DH5α) implique une dissémination du plasmide vers les bactéries indigènes. Outre l’intérêt du développement méthodologique proposé, cette méthode a permis d’évaluer l’incidence de quelques paramètres environnementaux sur la dissémination d’un ADN au sein de communautés microbiennes complexes. Deux groupes de facteurs ont pu être distingués selon qu’ils influencent la persistance du plasmide pB10 dans les communautés dans son hôte initial (oxygénation/brassage, ajout d’antibiotiques en concentrations sub-inhibitrices comme l’amoxicilline et le sulfaméthoxazole fréquemment retrouvés en station d’épuration) ou/et qu’ils favorisent sa dissémination dans les communautés bactériennes (biofilms, sédiments). Sans induire de transferts génétiques, les antibiotiques testés, même en concentrations sub-létales, pourraient participer à la dissémination de gènes de résistance en favorisant leur persistance / The widespread use of antibiotics since the 50s, generates a significant release of these molecules in the environment (excretion via urine and feces) which can be found at concentrations ranging from 1-100 ng/L in wastewater. Due to the high microbial biomass and the abundance of nutrients, wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) represent a suitable habitat for horizontal gene transfer. Because they occupy a key position between human activities and the environment, WWTP may play a major role in limiting the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes, therefore contributing to the preservation The parameters which influence these transfers in wastewater treatment plants are still poorly known, especially because of methodological limitations. Therefore the aim of our study was to identify environmental factors affecting the stability and transfer of a mobile genetic element model, the plasmid pB10 in bacterial communities (biomass from wastewater treatment plants and river sediments) maintained in microcosms. So far, the transfer of resistance genes have been studied mainly with methods based on the cultivation of microorganisms on selective media that we know now they underestimate the observed phenomena. Also, an approach based on quantitative PCR was developed for detecting the release of a mobile DNA template from the host bacterium E. coli DH5α. Couples of designed primers/probes were very specific and have been developed by taking advantage of the mosaic structure of the bacterial genome. The proposed approach is based on the over time measurements of the number of plasmids pB10 and its bacterial host DH5α, where an increased ratio (pB10/DH5α) implies a release of the plasmid to the indigenous bacteria. This method was used to assess the impact of some environmental parameters on the release of DNA in complex microbial communities. Two groups of factors could be distinguished according to whether they influence the persistence of plasmid pB10 in communities in microcosms (oxygenation / mixing, addition of antibiotics at sub-inhibitory concentrations as amoxicillin and sulfamethoxazole frequently found in treatment plant) and / or they favor his release in bacterial communities (biofilms, sediments). Without inducing genes transfers, the antibiotics tested, even at sub-lethal concentrations, could participate in the dissemination of resistance genes by facilitating their persistence

Els Sistemes d'Aiguamolls Construïts (SAC) de Flux Subsuperficial Horitzontal (FSH) és una tecnologia apropiada pel sanejament d'aigües residuals procedents de nuclis de població petits. No obstant els SAC de FSH són considerats una tecnologia natural, l'operació i manteniment d'aquestes depuradores és crucial per a garantir el seu correcte funcionament. Aquestes necessitats d'operació i manteniment varien entre depuradores segons (1) les característiques de la comunitat, (2) la configuració de la depuradora i el disseny del SAC de FSH i (3) les característiques del medi receptor. En aquest sentit, en aquesta tesi es presenta el desenvolupament d'un Sistema d'Ajuda a la Decisió (SAD) per a la definició de protocols d'operació i manteniment per a SAC de FSH tenint en compte els factors que causen variabilitat entre aquest tipus de depuradores (1, 2 i 3). / Horizontal Subsurface Constructed Wetlands (HSCW) is an appropriate technology to treat wastewater coming from small communities. Despite HSCW is considered a natural technology, operation and maintenance are crucial to guarantee their performance. These necessities vary according to (1) the characteristics of the community, (2) the wastewater treatment plant configuration and the HSCW design and (3) the characteristics of the receiving media. In this sense, the this thesis presents the development of an Environmental Decision Support System (EDSS) to asses the definition of operation and maintenance protocols for HSCW taking into account the aspects that cause variability among these facilities (1, 2 and 3).

Käppala wastewater treatment plant situated on the island of Lidingö northeast of Stockholm is running a project during 2004 and 2005 with the purpose to map out the capacity of anaerobic digestion in the digesters that treat primary and excess sludge. The purpose of this thesis work, which is part of that project, was to characterize the present anaerobic digestion process and to investigate its capacity to treat other organic wastes such as restaurant waste and waste from water works. To decide the potential of both methane and biogas production from different substrates batch laboratory tests were carried out. To imitate the anaerobic digestion process at Käppala continuous tests with small scale reactors were carried out. These reactors were later fed with restaurant waste. The batch laboratory tests showed that primary sludge had a potential biogas and methane production of 0,62 and 0,35 Ndm3/g VS respectively after 40 days of digestion. After 15 to 20 days of digestion (average retention time in the digester at Käppala wastewater treayment plant that treats primary sludge) the biogas production was between 0,55 and 0,60 Ndm3/g VS, which is within the range of the production at the digester that treats the primary sludge. This leads to the conclusion that the digestion of primary sludge is well functioning at the plant. Batch laboratory tests showed that excess sludge had a potential biogas and methane production of 0,31 and 0,16 Ndm3/g VS respectively after 40 days of digestion. Batch laboratory tests with restaurant waste showed a potential biogas and methane production of 0,81 and 0,38 Ndm3/g VS respectively after 47 days of digestion. This means that the total production of methane gas can increase with 7-8 per cent with an annual load of 3500 tonnes of restaurant waste (estimated amount of available restaurant waste). Tests to imitate transport of restaurant waste with influent wastewater showed that 35-60 per cent of the increase of gas production would be “washed out” if the waste was tranported this way to the plant. Batch laboratory tests with waste from water works showed that no gas was produced from this substrate. The continuous tests with small scale reactors which were fed with restaurant waste resulted in an increase of biogas production with 12 per cent (corresponding to an annual load of 3500 tonnes of restaurant waste) compared to the present process. / Avloppsreningsverket Käppalaverket på Lidingö driver under år 2004-2005 ett projekt med syftet att kartlägga rötningskapaciteten i den befintliga anläggningen där primär- och överskottsslam behandlas i två rötkammare. Syftet med examensarbetet, som är en del av kartläggningsprojektet, var att karakterisera Käppalaverkets nuvarande rötningsprocess och undersöka processens kapacitet att behandla organiskt avfall i form av restaurangavfall och vatttenverksslam. För att bestämma potentialen hos olika substrat har satsvisa utrötningar genomförts. För att efterlikna processen på Käppalaverket har kontinuerliga försök med små reaktorer bedrivits. Till dessa reaktorer har sedan restaurangavfall tillsats. De satsvisa utrötningarna av primärslam visade en potentiell bio- respektive metangasproduktion om 0,62 respektive 0,35 Ndm3/g VS efter 40 dagars utrötning. Efter 15-20 dagars utrötning (som är den genomsnittliga uppehållstiden i Käppalaverkets rötkammare där primärslammet behandlas) var biogasproduktionen mellan 0,55 och 0,60 Ndm3/g VS, vilket är inom samma intervall som vid den verkliga driften av rötkamrarna vid Käppalaverket. Detta betyder att utrötningen av primärslammet fungerar bra vid Käppalaverket. De satsvisa utrötningarna av överskottsslammet visade en potentiell bio- respektive metangasproduktion om 0,31 respektive 0,16 Ndm3/g VS efter 40 dagars utrötning. För restaurangavfallet visade de satsvisa utrötningarna på en potentiell bio- respektive metangasproduktion om 0,81 respektive 0,38 Ndm3/g VS efter 47 dagars utrötning. Detta innebär att den totala metangasproduktionen vid Käppalaverket skulle kunna ökas med 7-8 procent om 3500 ton restaurangavfall skulle tas emot årligen (uppskattad mängd restaurangavfall som finns att tillgå). Försök att efterlikna transport av restaurangavfallet via avloppsledningsnätet visade dock att 35-60 procent av den ökade metangasproduktionen skulle ”tvättas ur” om avfallet fördes till verket via avloppsledningsnätet. Försöken med satsvis utrötning av vattenverksslam visade att detta substrat inte bidrar med någon produktion av biogas eller metangas. De kontinuerliga försöken med tillsats av restaurangavfall (motsvarande en årlig belastning med 3500 ton) resulterade i en ökning av biogasproduktionen med 12 procent.

This report is commissioned by the Water and Sewage Agency in The City of Mariehamn, Åland. The basic aim is to investigate positive or negative effects of a relocation of the sewage pipe from a wastewater treatment plant, Lotsbroverket. The environmental licence of Lotsbroverket is to be revised and The Environmental Appeal Board at Åland’s Government and Administrative Board has made demands that several possible locations in an outer water area should be examined. The present location of the sewage pipe is in Svibyviken, which has been classified as an “inner water area”. The objective of this work is to study to which extent the nutrient loading from Lotsbroverket influence the environmental conditions in Svibyviken, and to investigate the suitability of different locations of the wastewater pipe from Lotsbroverket. The way a coastal area looks, i.e., its morphometry, determines to a large extent its ecological characteristics. The investigated coastal area was digitalized from a nautical chart. The software used for this was Roots 3.3 and the GIS-tool ArcGIS 8.3. The localization of the coastal boundaries for the entire coastal area and for investigated sub-areas was determined according to the topographical bottleneck method, i.e., the boundary lines were drawn where the exposure of the coast to the open sea is minimized. A process-based dynamic mass-balance model for total phosphorous has been used in this study. Using this model, one can estimate and quantify the effects of different nutrient sources in coastal areas. All the fluxes of phosphorous to, from and within the defined areas were studied and ranked. Model simulations have shown how changes in any of the phosphorous fluxes influence the mean monthly concentrations of total phosphorous. The situation for total nitrogen was determined with a statistical/empirical regression model between phosphorous and nitrogen concentrations. To estimate the expected ecological effects from a change in the nutrient loading from Lotsbroverket, statistical/empirical correlations between modelled nutrient concentrations and ecological effect variables have been used. Standard effect variables for the study of eutrophication effects in coastal areas are, e.g., the chlorophyll concentration, Secchi depth and oxygen saturation in deep water. These variables have also been used in this study. It has been shown that (1) the nutrient concentrations of the Baltic Sea controls the concentration of nutrients in the studied areas to a very large extent, (2) that the nutrient fluxes from Lotsbroverket are small compared to the nutrient fluxes from the Baltic Sea and hence also of minor importance for the nutrient state of the receiving water system, (3) that the influence of the nutrient emissions from Lotsbroverket are most noticeable in the present inner recipient, Svibyviken, and (4) that the impact logically decreases with distance between the location of the sewage pipe and boundary line to the open sea. The overall conclusion is that no major improvement of the conditions in Svibyviken can be expected by a reduction or a relocation of the nutrient emissions from Lotsbroverket. / Detta examensarbete är ett uppdrag av VA-verket vid Mariehamns stad, Åland, med syfte att utreda effekter av en eventuell flyttning av avloppsreningsverket Lotsbroverkets utloppsledning. Inför en revidering av Lotsbroverkets miljötillstånd har Miljöprövningsnämnden vid Ålands landskapsregering ställt villkor på att tillståndshavaren skall utreda möjligheter till att avleda det renade avloppsvattnet till ett yttre vattenområde. Utloppsledningen mynnar i dagsläget i Svibyviken, vilken har klassificerats som ett inre vattenområde. Målsättningen med detta arbete är att belysa vilka ekologiska effekter näringsämnesutsläppet från Lotsbroverket har på primärrecipienten Svibyviken samt att undersöka några andra områdens lämplighet som mottagare av avloppsvattnet. Ett kustområdes utseende och form, det vill säga dess morfometri, avgör i stor utsträckning dess ekologiska förhållanden. För att få en god bild av det undersökta områdets morfometri digitaliserades området utifrån ett sjökort i digitaliseringsprogrammet Roots 3.3, varefter data bearbetades med GIS-verktyget ArcGIS 8.3. Avgränsning av kustområdet som helhet och av undersökta delområden gjordes enligt den topografiska flaskhalsmetoden, det vill säga så att kustens öppenhet mot utanförliggande hav eller vattenområde minimeras (Håkanson et al., 1984; Pilesjö et al., 1991). För arbetet har en processbaserad, dynamisk massbalansmodell för totalfosfor använts. Modellen har tagits fram för att eutrofieringseffekter i kustområden skall kunna studeras (Håkanson &amp; Karlsson, 2001). Vid användandet av modellen kan effekter av olika näringsämneskällor uppskattas och kvantifieras. Samtliga totalfosforflöden till, från och inom olika avgränsade områden har studerats och rangordnats. Modellsimuleringar har visat hur förändringar i något av fosfortillflödena inverkar på recipientens månadsmedelkoncentration av totalfosfor. Situationen för kväve har undersökts med hjälp av en statistisk/empirisk regressionsmodell mellan fosfor- och kvävehalt. För att belysa de ekologiska effekter som kan förväntas efter en förändring av Lotsbroverkets fosfor- och kväveutsläpp har statistiska/empiriska kopplingar gjorts mellan näringsämneskoncentrationer och ekologiska effektvariabler. Bra effektvariabler vid undersökning av eutrofieringseffekter är exempelvis klorofyllhalt, siktdjup samt syrgashalt i bottenvattnet. Dessa variabler har också använts i detta arbete. Resultaten visar att (1) närsaltskoncentrationerna i de studerade områdena i hög grad styrs av den allmänna eutrofieringsnivån i Östersjön, (2) att utsläppet av näringsämnen från Lotsbroverket inte inverkar på recipientens näringsstatus i någon stor utsträckning, (3) att Lotsbroverkets påverkan är störst på nuvarande recipient, Svibyviken, (4) och att påverkan sedan successivt minskar ju längre ut mot öppna havet utloppsledningen lokaliseras. Slutsatsen av utredningen är att en reduktion av Lotsbroverkets utsläpp eller nylokalisering av utloppsledningen inte kan förväntas ge någon omfattande förbättring av tillståndet i Svibyviken.