Avaliou-se a influência da carga orgânica volumétrica (COV) aplicada e do tempo de enchimento sobre a estabilidade e a eficiência do ASBR com biomassa granulada, operado em batelada e batelada alimentada seqüenciais, tratando soro de queijo diluído. Os ensaios foram realizados a 30 'graus' C com volume total de meio de 5,0 litros e tempo de ciclo de 8 horas. Na primeira etapa realizou-se a operação em batelada com tempo de enchimento ('T IND.alim') de 10 min e freqüência de agitação de 150 rpm. A cada ciclo foram alimentados 2,0 litros de meio com concentração afluente ('C IND.AF') de 1000, 2000, 4000 e 6000 mg/L, em termos de DQO. A suplementação de alcalinidade foi gradualmente otimizada partindo-se da proporção de 1 a 0,25 da razão 'NA'H'CO IND.3'/DQO. Nestas condições foi possível operar o reator com estabilidade a COV aplicada de 4,8 g/L.d , com suplementação de alcalinidade de 25% e eficiência em remoção de matéria orgânica de 96,0% e 98,4% em termos de DQO filtrada e total, respectivamente. Na segunda etapa devido a problemas operacionais desenvolveram-se dispositivos para assegurar a retenção da biomassa a fim de viabilizar a operação em batelada alimentada. Os dispositivos testados foram ASBR híbrido, sistema de agitação com 2 impelidores, hélice e pá-inclinada (a) e hélice e turbina inclinada (b). A solução utilizada foi hélice e turbina inclinada. Para essa configuração, diminuiu-se a freqüência de agitação para 75 rpm e reduziu-se o volume de biomassa para 1,0 L. Dessa forma foi possível avaliar a influência das estratégias de alimentação ('T IND.alim') de 360, 180 e 10 minutos a COV aplicada constante de 2,4 g/L.d, para 'C IND.AF' de 4000 mg/L e 'V IND.alim' de 1,0 L e para 'C IND.AF' de 8000 mg/L e 'V IND.alim' de 0,5 L. Para a 'C IND.AF' de 4000 mg/L o aumento de 'T IND.alim' resultou em diminuição da eficiência, em termos de DQO solúvel, sendo de 97,8 , 96,7 e 94,5% para os 'T IND.alim' de 10, 180 e 360 minutos, respectivamente. Para a 'C IND.AF' de 8000 mg/L o aumento do 'T IND.alim' resultou em menores valores de DQO total no efluente / The effect of volumetric organic load (VOL) and fill time on the stability and efficiency of an ASBR was assessed. The ASBR containing granular biomass was operated in batch and fed-batch mode and treated diluted cheese whey. Assays were performed at 30 'degrees' C with total medium volume of 5.0 liters and 8-h cycle lengths. In a first stage the reactor was operated batch-wise with fill time ('T IND.feed') of 10 min and agitation frequency of 150 rpm. At each cycle 2.0 liters of medium were fed at influent concentration ('C IND.infl') of 1000, 2000, 4000 and 6000 mg/L, in terms of COD. Alkalinity supplementation was gradually optimized from 100% to 25% of 'NA'H'CO IND.3'/COD ratio. At these conditions the reactor attained stability at applied VOL of 4.8 g/L.d, alkalinity supplementation of 25% and organic matter removal efficiency of 96.0% and 98.4% in terms of soluble and total COD, respectively. In a second stage due to operational problems devices were developed to assure biomass retention and hence make fed-batch operation feasible. The tested devices included hybrid ASBR, agitation system with two impellers: helix and inclined blade impeller (a) and helix and inclined turbine impeller (b). The system chosen was the helix and inclined turbine. With this configuration agitation frequency and biomass volume were reduced to 75 rpm and 1.0 L, respectively. This way, it was possible to assess feed strategies ('T IND.feed') of 360, 180 and 10 minutes at constant applied VOL of 2.4 g/L.d, for 'C IND.infl' of 4000 mg/L at 'V IND.feed' of 1.0 L and for 'C IND.infl' of 8000 mg/L at 'V IND.feed' of 0.5 L. At 'C IND.infl' of 4000 mg/L increase in 'T IND.feed' resulted in decrease in efficiency in terms of soluble COD, which amounted to 97.8, 96.7 and 94.5% for 'T IND.feed' of 10, 180 and 360 minutes, respectively. At 'C IND.infl' of 8000 mg/L the increase in 'T IND.feed' resulted in lower values for COD effluent

Este trabalho apresenta as avaliações de desempenho, das demandas operacionais e dos fatores intervenientes no aumento da escala da unidade piloto do Reator anaeróbio Horizontal de Leito Fixo (RAHLF) no tratamento de esgoto sanitário após passagem por peneira com malha de 1 mm, durante dois anos de operação. O reator dispunha de volume total de 237,5 1, construídos com tubos comerciais de PVC de 14,5 cm de diâmetro (D), dispostos em cinco módulos horizontais em série de 2,88 m, perfazendo um comprimento total de (L) de 14,4 m e relação de total de L/D de 100. O suporte de imobilização de biomassa, espuma de poliuretano em matrizes cúbicas de 1 cm de aresta, mostrou-se adequado ao desenvolvimento do biofilme. Em partida, sem inoculação prévia, ocorreu a sua consolidação a partir de 70 dias, com predominância de morfologia semelhante a Methanosaeta sp. em relação a da Methanosarcina. Em torno de 90 dias com afluente de 350 mg/l de DQO, observe-se a melhor qualidade do efluente, com valor de 100 mg/l de DQO. Em longa operação ocorreu queda de rendimento e menor reprodutibilidade das previsões do projeto, atribuída aos constantes entupimentos e ineficácia das operações de limpeza, com o comprometimento de volume reacional verificados por estudos de hidrodinâmica. Da investigação das origens dos equipamentos observou-se tratar mais de um efeito local e qualitativamente relacionado à biomassa retida que propriamente quantitativo e extensivo ao longo de todo reator, com produção continuada de polímeros extracelulares, promovendo um efeito sinérgico com os predominantes organismos filamentosos e com os sólidos particulados retidos no leito. Diante das potencialidades desta configuração de reator apontam-se alternativas de mitigação dos entupimentos e o direcionamento dos estudos necessários para novo aumento de escala para o tratamento de esgoto sanitário. / This work evaluated the performance, the operational demands and the intervenient factors in the scale-up of the horizontal flow anaerobic immobilized biomass (HAIB) reactor pilot unit, treating domestic sewage previously screened. The operation was monitored for two years. The five- module (2.88 m length each) reactor volume was 237.5 liters and it was built with commercial PVC pipes of 14.5 cm of diameter (D), resulting in a total length (L) of 14.4 m and in a total ratio L/D of approximately 100. The immobilization support, cubic matrices of polyurethane foam (1 cm edge), showed to be suitable for the anaerobic biofilm development. During the start-up, without previous inoculation, the biofilm seemed to be consolidated after 70 days, and Methanosaeta sp. morphology predominated, in detriment of Methanosarcina. With an affluent of 350 mg COD/L, the best reactor performance was observed in about 90 days of operation (100 mg COD/L in the effluent). However, with the continuous operation, its performance decreased and the project predictions did not seem to fit anymore. These facts were probably due to the frequent cloggings ant the inefficiency of the backwashing procedures, leading to a decreasing of the operational volume. The origin of the clogging seemed to be related to the extracellular polymer production, linked to a synergic effect with the filamentous organisms and the particulate solids in the bed. Despite these operational problems, there were found alternatives to mitigate the clogging, and studies about a new scale-up methodology, in order to treat domestic sewage, were strongly recommended.

Esta pesquisa consistiu na verificação do comportamento do reator UASB de bancada (volume igual a 10,5 litros), quando submetido a variações senoidais de vazão afluente, comparando-se com a eficiência no seu funcionamento com vazão constante, através de análises de amostras de afluentes e efluentes. O reator UASB utilizado foi montado no Laboratório de Processos Biológicos da EESC-USP dentro de uma câmara com temperatura constante de 30 ± 3°C, e alimentado com esgoto sintético, com DQO de 500 mg/l, 750 mg/l e 1000 mg/l. O reator foi inoculado em abril de 1999, com 3,5 litros de lodo anaeróbio proveniente de um reator compartimentado, também situado na EESC-USP. Devido à dificuldade de atingir um valor esperado para a eficiência de remoção de Matéria orgânica, foi dada nova partida no reator, em julho de 1999, desta vez com lodo proveniente de outro UASB. Após a segunda partida, o reator operou com vazão constante e DQO afluente em torno de 500 mg/l até setembro de 1999, com média de remoção de DQO bruta de 75% no período, passando-se, então, à fase de variação senoidal de vazão de forma que o máximo e o mínimo fossem de ±30%, ±45% e ±60% da vazão média. Para este regime, obteve-se 80% de eficiência média de remoção de DQO bruta. Os valores de pH, alcalinidade e ácidos voláteis foram praticamente constantes durante a operação. Os perfis de remoção de DQO ao longo do dia mostraram uma pequena queda na eficiência do reator, aproximadamente 1,5 vezes o tempo de detenção hidráulica médio (8 horas), após os máximos de vazão para o regime de variação de vazão de ±30% e ±45% e 2,5 vezes o tempo de detenção hidráulica médio, para variação e ±60%. O mesmo experimento foi repetido para DQO afluente de 1000 mg/l e obteve-se, em média, eficiências de 65% de remoção de DQO. / This research consisted in the UASB reactor performance verification when it was submitted to sine-based variations of loading rate, in comparison to its normal operation. The UASB reactor used was set up at the Biological Process Laboratory of EESC-USP, inside a camera with temperature of 30°C ± 3°C. It was fed with synthetic sewage (COD = 500, 750 and 1000 mg/l). After start-up, the reactor was operated with constant loading rate (COD = 500 mg/l) until September 1999. The organic matter removal average in this period was 75%. Then, it was initiated the phase of sine-based variation loading rate (±30%, ±45% and ±60%). In this regime, it was obtained a medium gross COD removal efficiency of 80%. The pH values, alkalinity and volatile acids were practically constant during the operation. The COD removal profiles during the day showed a subtle fall in the reactor efficiency after 1.5 times the medium hydraulic detection time, for the loading rate variation of ±30% and ±45%. For ±60% variation, the answer time was approximately 2.5 times the medium hydraulic detection time. The efficiency of gross COD removal stay however over 78,53% until the experiment 9, witch showed that the reactor can stand the loading rate variations. The efficiency of filtered COD removal decreased on the second experiment, came back to the initial values and decreased again. The values of variation didn\'t surpass 6,6% for gross COD and 8,43% for filtered COD.

A proposta desta pesquisa foi avaliar a aplicação do processo oxidativo avançado (POA), peróxido de hidrogênio (\'H IND.2\'O IND.2\') e radiação ultravioleta (UV), como pós-tratamento de um reator anaeróbio utilizado para tratar efluentes de branqueamento de indústrias de celulose kraft. O principal objetivo do pós-tratamento químico foi aumentar a biodegradabilidade e a remoção de compostos recalcitrantes nos efluentes. O tratamento biológico foi realizado por meio de reator anaeróbio horizontal de leito fixo (RAHLF), em escala de bancada, seguido pelo tratamento \'H IND.2\'O IND.2\'/UV dos efluentes. As doses do agente oxidante variaram de 50 a 500 mg \'H IND.2\'O IND.2\'/L e as aplicações de energia pela lâmpada de radiação ultravioleta foram variadas, principalmente, de 3,8 a 15,0 kWh por \'M POT.3\' de efluente tratado. Desta forma, amostras de efluentes foram coletadas de duas indústrias brasileiras de celulose kraft branqueada, originando respectivamente duas fases experimentais. Na primeira fase, o RAHLF apresentou boa estabilidade de operação, obtendo adequadas eficiências de remoção de DQO (61 ± 3%), COT (69 ± 9%), \'DBO IND.5\' (90 ± 5%) e AOX (55 ± 14%). Todavia, não ocorreu boa remoção dos compostos de absorbância na \'UV IND.254\'. Além disso, houve aumento de constituintes da lignina do afluente para o efluente do RAHLF. Por sua vez, o pós-tratamento com \'H IND.2\'O IND.2\'/UV no efluente anaeróbio proporcionou eficiência de remoção variada nos parâmetros DQO (0 a 11%), \'UV IND.254\' (16 a 35%), lignina (0 a 29%) e AOX (23 a 54%). Em relação a melhoria da biodegradabilidade, todas as dosagens de \'H IND.2\'O IND.2\' estudadas promoveram aumento na relação \'DBO IND.5\'/DQO. Para uma relação \'DBO IND.5\'/DQO média inicial igual a 0,09, correspondente ao efluente do RAHLF, o maior aumento obtido foi de 131% aplicando 500 mg \'H IND.2\'O IND.2\'/L e 7,5 kWh/\'M POT.3\'. O tratamento conjugado biológico e químico foi necessário para atingir ao padrão europeu de emissão de AOX (< 0,4 kg AOX por tonelada de polpa de celulose seca produzida). Na segunda fase, o RAHLF apresentou alguns problemas operacionais, tais como entupimento nas conexões e quebras do reator de vidro, pelo possível aumento da carga orgânica volumétrica aplicada presente nos efluentes coletados na segunda indústria de celulose. O pós-tratamento com \'H IND.2\'O IND.2\'/UV mostrou menor desempenho nessa fase experimental, o que pode ser explicado também pelo maior teor de matéria orgânica residual, lignina, alcalinidade e íons cloretos ainda remanescentes nos efluentes tratados biologicamente. Visando complementar os estudos, testes em reatores aeróbios nos efluentes do RAHLF, tratados e não tratados pelos processos \'H IND.2\'O IND.2\'/UV, foram avaliados. Os resultados demonstraram que os melhores resultados (menor tempo de aeração necessário para atingir a mesma concentração dos parâmetros avaliados) foram alcançados pelos reatores que receberam efluentes previamente tratados pelo POA. Uma avaliação simplificada do custo operacional associado com a aplicação do tratamento \'H IND.2\'O IND.2\'/UV, em escala plena, indicou um custo de R$ 1,87 por \'M POT.3\' de efluente tratado. / The purpose of this research was to assess the application of the advanced oxidation processes (AOP), hydrogen peroxide (\'H IND.2\'O IND.2\') and ultraviolet radiation (UV), as post-treatment for an anaerobic reactor used to treat bleaching effluents from kraft pulp mills. The main objective of the chemical post-treatment was to increase the biodegradability and remove recalcitrant compounds from the wastewater. The biological treatment was performed in a fixed bed anaerobic horizontal reactor (FBAHR), in bench scale, followed by \'H IND.2\'O IND.2\'/UV treatment of the effluents. The oxidizer dosage varied from 50 to 500 mg \'H IND.2\'O IND.2\'/L while the energy applied by the UV lamp ranged, mainly, from 3.8 to 15.0 kWh per \'M POT.3\' of treated effluent. This way, wastewater samples were collected from two brazilian bleached kraft pulp mills thus the results were reported as two different experimental phases. In the first phase the FBAHR showed good operational stability and reached the expected removal efficiencies for COD (61 ± 3%), TOC (69 ± 9%), \'BOD IND.5\' (90 ± 5%) and AOX (55 ± 14%). However, the anaerobic treatment did not provide good removal of compounds indicated by \'UV IND.254\' absorbency. Furthermore, there was an increase of lignin from the affluent to effluent of the FBAHR. In its turn the \'H IND.2\'O IND.2\'/UV post-treatment provided a wide range of removal depending upon the dosage: COD (0 to 11%), \'UV IND.254\' (16 to 35%), lignin (0 to 29%) and AOX (23 to 54%). Regarding to the improvement in biodegradability, all dosages of \'H IND.2\'O IND.2\' applied in this work promoted an increase in the \'BOD IND.5\'/COD ratio. For an average initial \'BOD IND.5\'/COD ratio equal to 0.09, which corresponds to the FBAHR effluent, the greatest increase was 131% with 500 mg \'H IND.2\'O IND.2\'/L and 7.5 kWh/\'M POT.3\'. It was necessary to couple the anaerobic and the oxidative treatment to reach the current European allowable AOX emission load (< 0.4 kg AOX per ton of produced dried cellulose pulp). During the second phase of the experiments, the FBAHR had operational problems as plugging of the tubes and cracking of the reactor wall that may be partially attributed to the higher organic load applied, as the effluents from the second mill were stronger. The AOP post-treatment also had lower performance during this experimental phase, which may be explained by the higher concentration of the organic matter, lignin, alkalinity and chloride ions, still present in the biologically treated effluents. To complete the experiments samples from effluents of the FBAHR and AOP process were submitted to aerobic assays. By tests done in aerobic reactors in the FBAHR effluents, treated and non-treated by the processes \'H IND.2\'O IND.2\'/UV, it was verified that the best results, shorter aeration time requirement to reach the same concentration of the evaluated parameters, were obtained from reactors that received previously treated by AOP effluents. A simplified evaluation of the operational cost associated with the use of the tested AOP, in full scale, indicated a cost of R$ 1.87 per \'M POT.3\' of treated effluent.

Orientadores: Durval Rodrigues de Paula Junior, Sylvio Luis Honório / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-23T17:03:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Aguiar_RosaHelena_D.pdf: 2411611 bytes, checksum: cc0a7bb404d742457c915d8126132bf5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: O saneamento além de ser importante para a preservação dos recursos naturais representa uma ação preventiva eficaz para a melhoria do bem estar e da qualidade de vida da população nas questões relacionadas à saúde pública. A prática do uso de água residuária tem grandes vantagens, sobremaneira no aporte de nutrientes às plantas, fator que contribui para um crescimento mais rápido. Nesta pesquisa optou-se por utilizar o girassol (Helianthus annuus L.) ornamental que foi irrigado com águas residuárias. Objetivou-se a viabilidade do uso da área com disposição de esgoto tratado em reatores anaeróbios, por meio da avaliação do seu desenvolvimento e da sua produtividade durante três diferentes épocas de semeadura, visando reduzir os custos com nutrientes. Realizou-se esse experimento na área experimental da Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola FEAGRI/UNICAMP, e foram avaliados cinco diferentes experimentos, dois deles por meio de reuso de efluentes de reatores - Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) e Reator Anaeróbio Compartimentado (RAC) associado a filtros anaeróbios, enquanto que os outros foram constituídos de: Testemunha, sem qualquer tipo de irrigação; com irrigação, utilizando somente água tratada, e com água tratada em área fertilizada com NPK. Foram avaliados respostas fitomorfológicas da cultura, assim como: diâmetro dos caules (DC); altura das plantas (HP); diâmetro dos capítulos (DCp); massa seca dos caules e das folhas (MS); número de folhas (NF) e sua produtividade. Os sistemas modulares (UASB e RAC) de tratamento de esgoto apresentaram um bom desempenho, com elevados valores de remoção de SSed (98,72; 98,36%), e DQO (72,37; 75,79%) não havendo diferença significativa entre os sistemas de tratamento. Constatou-se também que os canteiros com tratamentos com reuso de efluentes promoveram alteração na fertilidade do solo, com o aumento nos valores de saturação por bases (V%) na profundidade de 0 - 20 cm. Analisando os efeitos sobre a cultura nos três plantios, verificou-se um melhor desenvolvimento nos canteiros com os tratamentos do efluente, quando comparado com os demais tratamentos principalmente no segundo e terceiro plantio. Sistemas modulares de tratamento de esgotos associados ao reuso agrícola de seus efluentes podem agregar valores à produção agrícola, podendo ser utilizado inclusive no período de chuvas e em locais onde há escassez de água pluvial / Abstract: Sanitation is also important for the preservation of natural resources, represents an effective preventive action to improve the well-being and quality of life of the population on issues related to public health. The practice of using wastewater has great advantages, particularly in the supply of nutrients to plants, factor that contributes to a faster growth. In this research we decided to use the Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) ornamental that was irrigated with wastewater. The viability of the use of the area with provision of treated sewage in anaerobic reactors, by assessing their development and their productivity during three different periods of sowing to reduce costs with nutrients. This research was developed in the experimental area of the Faculty of agricultural engineering FEAGRI/UNICAMP, and evaluated five different treatments, two of them by means of Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket reactors (UASB) and Anaerobic Reactor Chambered (ARC) associated with anaerobic filters, while the others were made up of: witness, without any kind of irrigation; with irrigation, using only treated water and treated water in the area fertilized with NPK. Fitomorfológicas culture responses were evaluated as: diameter of stems (DS); plant height (HP); diameter of the chapters (DCp); dry mass of stems and leaves (DM); number of leaves (NF) and your productivity. Modular systems (UASB and ARC) sewage treatment showed a good performance, with high values of removing SSed (98.72; 98.36), and COD (72.37; 75.79) with no significant difference between the treatment systems. It was noted also that the flower beds with wastewater reuse treatments promoted change in the fertility of the soil, with the increase in base saturation values (V%) at the depth of 0-20 cm. Analyzing the effects on culture in three plantations, there was a better development in the flower beds with the effluent treatments, when compared with the other treatments mainly in the second and third planting. Modular wastewater treatment system associated with the agricultural reuse of wastewater can add value to their agricultural production, and can be used throughout the year even in places where there is scarcity of rainwater / Doutorado / Agua e Solo / Doutor em Engenharia Agrícola

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:32:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_charles_huber.pdf: 1046471 bytes, checksum: a81eb3b445f28a007ba73c7b94476592 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-12-10 / The addition a chemical surfactant in the sodium hydroxide solution was evaluated in the peach peeling process. The results were compared to the traditional process, without chemical addition. It could be observed reduction from 57.14% in the sodium hydroxide consumption, 49.18% in wastewater generation of the fruit washing process and 42.81%, 16.02%, 45.45%, 24.16% and 31.82%, in the loads of chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total suspended solids (TSS) and the settleable solids (SS), respectively. The fruit-cannery wastewaters must be treated. There are several processes that can be used for the removal of materials and chemicals that can degrade the environment. An upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) of a cannery industry (fruits and vegetables) was evaluated. The system was assessed for 712 days and the efficiency of total DQO removal was evaluated. The start-up began with a mean organic loading rate (OLR) of 0.40kgDQO.m-3.d-1, and achieved a maximum OLR of 5.29kgDQO.m-3.d-1 in 307 days. The mean removal of total DQO was 86.87%. This study showed that even with the seasonality of production, the UASB reactor is a good alternative for the secondary treatment of fruit-cannery industry / Avaliou-se a adição de um surfactante químico à solução de hidróxido de sódio, utilizada no processo de descasque químico do pêssego. Os resultados obtidos foram comparados com o do processo tradicional, sem a adição desta substância. Observou-se reduções de 57,14% no consumo de hidróxido de sódio, 49,18% na geração de efluente líquido, no processo de lavagem da fruta e 42,81%, 16,02 %, 45,45%, 24,16% e 31,82%, nas cargas da demanda química de oxigênio (DQO), demanda bioquímica de oxigênio (DBO), nitrogênio total Kjeldahl (NTK), sólidos suspensos totais (SST) e dos sólidos sedimentáveis (SS), respectivamente. As águas residuárias originadas no processo de industrialização da fruta devem ser tratadas em uma estação de tratamento de efluentes. Existem diversos processos que podem ser utilizados para a remoção dos materiais e substâncias potencialmente prejudiciais ao meio ambiente. Monitorou-se a partida e a operação de um reator anaeróbio de fluxo ascendente (UASB) tratando efluentes de uma indústria de conservas de frutas e vegetais. O sistema foi monitorado por 712 dias e avaliou-se a eficiência da remoção de demanda química de oxigênio (DQO) total. O início da operação do reator foi com uma carga orgânica volumétrica (COV) aplicada de 0,40kgDQO.m-3.d-1, atingindo-se uma COV máxima de 5,29kgDQO.m-3.d-1 em 307 dias. A remoção de DQO total foi de 86,87%. Este estudo mostrou que mesmo com a sazonalidade de produção, os reatores UASB são uma boa alternativa de tratamento secundário para a indústria conserveira

Integrated Algae Pond Systems (IAPS) are a derivation of the Oswald designed Algal Integrated Wastewater Pond Systems (AIWPS®) and combine the use of anaerobic and aerobic bioprocesses to effect wastewater treatment. IAPS technology was introduced to South Africa in 1996 and a pilot plant designed and commissioned at the Belmont Valley WWTW in Grahamstown. The system has been in continual use since implementation and affords a secondarily treated water for reclamation according to its design specifications which most closely resemble those of the AIWPS® Advanced Secondary Process developed by Oswald. As a consequence, and as might be expected, while the technology performed well and delivered a final effluent superior to most pond systems deployed in South Africa it was unable to meet The Department of Water Affairs General Standard for nutrient removal and effluent discharge. The work described in this thesis involved the design, construction, and evaluation of several tertiary treatment units (TTU') for incorporation into the IAPS process design. Included were; Maturation Ponds (MP), Slow Sand Filter (SSF) and Rock Filters (RF). Three MP's were constructed in series with a 12 day retention time and operated in parallel with a two-layered SSF and a three-stage RF. Water quality of the effluent emerging from each of these TTU's was monitored over a 10 month period. Significant decreases in the chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonium-N, phosphate-P, nitrate-N, faecal coliforms (FC) and total coliforms (TC) were achieved by these TTU's. On average, throughout the testing period, water quality was within the statutory limit for discharge to a water course that is not a listed water course, with the exception of the total suspended solids (TSS). The RF was determined as the most suitable TTU for commercial use due to production of a better quality water, smaller footprint, lower construction costs and less maintenance required. From the results of this investigation it is concluded that commercial deployment of IAPS for the treatment of municipal sewage requires the inclusion of a suitable TTU. Furthermore, and based on the findings presented, RF appears most appropriate to ensure that quality of the final effluent meets the standard for discharge.

Landfilling is the most widely used method for the disposal of municipal solid wastes (MSW) in the United States due to its simplicity and low cost. According to the 2014 report on Advancing Sustainable Materials Management by the USEPA, only 34% of the total MSW generated in the US was recycled, while 13% was combusted for energy recovery. In 2014, 53% of the MSW generated, (i.e. 136 million tons) in the US was landfilled. The treatment of landfill leachates, generated by percolation of water through the landfill, primarily due to precipitation, has been found to be one of the major challenges associated with landfill operation and management. Currently, leachates from most landfills are discharged into wastewater treatment plants, where they get treated along with domestic sewage. Issues associated with treatment of landfill leachates due to their high nitrogen and heavy metal content have been widely studied. Recently, it has been observed that the organic carbon in landfill leachates, specifically humic and fulvic acids (together referred to as "humic substances") contain aromatic groups that can absorb large amounts of ultraviolet (UV) light, greatly reducing the UV transmissivity in wastewater plants using UV disinfection as the final treatment step. This interference with UV disinfection is observed even when landfill leachates constitute a very small fraction (of the order of 1%) of the total volumetric flow into wastewater treatment plants. Humic substances are present as dissolved organic matter (DOM) and typically show very low biodegradability. Removing these substances using chemical treatment or membrane processes is an expensive proposition. However, the concentrations of humic substances are found to be reduced in leachates from landfill cells that have aged for several years, suggesting that these substances may be degraded under the conditions of long-term landfilling. The primary objective of this research was to use a two-stage process employing thermophilic pretreatment followed by a mesophilic anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) to mimic the conditions of long-term landfilling. The AnMBR was designed to keep biomass inside the reactor and accelerate degradation of biologically recalcitrant organic carbon such as humic substances. The treatment goal was to reduce UV absorbance in raw landfill leachates, potentially providing landfills with an innovative on-site biological treatment option prior to discharging leachates into wastewater treatment plants. The system was operated over 14 months, during which time over 50% of UV-quenching organic carbon and 45% of UV absorbance was consistently removed. To the best of our knowledge, these removal values are higher than any reported using biological treatment in the literature. Comparative studies were also performed to evaluate the performance of this system in treating young leachates versus aged leachates. Next-generation DNA sequencing and quantitative PCR (qPCR) were used to characterize the microbial community in raw landfill leachates and the bioreactors treating landfill leachate. Analysis of microbial community structure and function revealed the presence of known degraders of humic substances in raw as well as treated landfill leachates. The total number of organisms in the bioreactors were found to be higher than in raw leachate. Gene markers corresponding to pathogenic bacteria and a variety of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were detected in raw landfill leachates and the also in the reactors treating leachate, which makes it necessary to compare these ARG levels with wastewater treatment in order to determine if leachates can act as sources of ARG addition into wastewater treatment plants. In addition, the high UV absorbance of leachates could hinder the removal of ARBs and ARGs by UV disinfection, allowing their release into surface water bodies and aiding their proliferation in natural and engineered systems. / Ph. D.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Please see fulltext for abstract / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sien asb volteks vir opsomming

Este trabalho teve por objetivo investigar a degradação de lipídios em três sistemas anaeróbios de tratamento: um reator anaeróbio de fluxo horizontal de leito fixo (RAHLF) , um sistema combinado composto por um reator enzimático de leito expandido invertido (RELI) seguido por um RAHLF e um reator anaeróbio de manta de lodo (UASB). Os sistemas foram monitorados em uma câmara com temperatura controlada a 30,0 ± 0,5°C e alimentados com substrato sintético a base de lipídios, com concentração, em termos de demanda química de oxigênio (DQO) de 8748 ± 711 mg/L e concentração de óleos e graxas de 1820 ± 512 mg/L, O reator RAHLF foi operado com tempo de detenção hidráulica (TDH) de 24 horas por 100 dias e apresentou eficiências médias de remoção de DQO e de lipídios de 98,9 ± 0,4% e 94,9 ± 3,2%, respectivamente. O sistema combinado (reator enzimático / reator anaeróbio) apresentou eficiências médias de remoção de DQO e de lipídios de 99,0 ± 0,3% e 94,2 ± 2,8%, respectivamente, operado com TDH de 30 min no reator enzimático e 24 h no reator microbiológico. Posteriormente, o reator RAHLF foi submetido à diminuição do TDH de 24 para 8 h. As eficiências médias de remoção de DQO e lipídios foram de 87,0 ± 3,2% e 90,5 ± 2,7% verificadas para o menor TDH aplicado (8 h). O modelo cinético baseado em reações paralelas e em série, de primeira ordem, indicaram que a velocidade de reação aumenta com o aumento da velocidade superficial no reator RAHLF. Este comportamento pode ser atribuído à diminuição contínua da resistência à transferência de massa da fase líquida. O reator UASB apresentou baixa eficiência devido à flotação de 85% da manta de lodo granular, após 18 dias de operação. Os resultados obtidos neste trabalho permitem concluir que o reator RAHLF pode ser utilizado como unidade única no tratamento de efluentes com alta concentração de lipídios, devido a ter apresentado performance similar à observada no sistema integrado enzimático-anaeróbio. / The aim of this work was the investigation of the lipid degradation in three anaerobic treatment systems: a horizontal-flow anaerobic immobilized biomass (HAIB) reactor, a combined system composed by an inverted expanded-bed enzymatic reactor (EIBE) followed by a HAIB reactor and an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. The systems were monitored in a chamber under controlled temperature of 30 ± 0.5°C and fed with lipid-based synthetic wastewater, with chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 8748 ± 711 mg/L and 1820 ± 512 mg/L of oil and grease concentration. The HAIB reactor was operated with hydraulic detention time (HDI) of 24 hours for 100 days and it presented average COD and lipids removal efficiencies of 98.9 ± 0.4% and 94.9 ± 3.2%, respectively. The combined system (enzymatic/anaerobic reactors) presented COD and lipids removal efficiencies of 99.0 ± 0.3% and 94.2 ± 2.8%, respectively, operating with a HDI of 30 min in the enzymatic reactor and 24 h in the microbiological one. Afterwards, the HAIB reactor was subjected to decreasing HDI values from 24 to 8 h. Average COD and the lipids removal efficiencies of 87.04 ± 3.2% and 90.5 ± 2.7%, respectively, were achieved for the lower HDI applied (8 h). A kinetic model, based on first-order series and parallel reactions, indicated that the lipids reaction rate increased as the liquid superficial velocity was increased in the HAIB reactor, since the liquid-phase mass transfer resistance decreased continuously. The UASB reactor presented a poor performance, presenting flotation of the 85% of the granular sludge bed after 18 days of operation. The results obtained in this work permit the potential indication of HAIB reactor as the sole unit to treat lipid-rich wastewater, since the performance of the HAIB reactor was similar to that observed for the integrated hydrolytic-anaerobic system.