Acceleration of the particulate organic matter hydrolysis by start-up stage recovery and its original microbial mechanism

Highlights

• Carbon availability was partially solved by POM recovery and fermentation.

• 12% carbon sources were regenerated by fermentation of the entrapped 35% TCOD.

• The unique microbial communities facilitated the efficient hydrolysis of the POM.

• Considerable economic benefits in aeration power and ECS dosage were anticipated.

Abstract

To address the availability of carbon sources for denitrification, the accelerated hydrolysis of the most abundant but low-availability fraction of particulate organic matter (POM) was investigated. Mesh sieves with different pore sizes were used as primary pretreatment at the start-up-stage of the biological process to separate some POM from the liquid system. The changes in soluble carbohydrates and proteins were monitored to investigate the hydrolysis performance of the sieved POM, with waste activated sludge (WAS) as the control test. The results showed that an average of 35% POM could be entrapped before filtrate mat development. In addition, benefiting from the high polysaccharides concentration, as well as the high availability due to the relatively loose physical structure, a 23% hydrolysis efficiency of POM was obtained, in contrast to that of WAS (3.4%), with a hydrolysis constant of 0.39 h⁻¹. The prominent performance was also attributed to the unique microbial communities having been domesticated at a lower temperature, especially the cellulose-degrading bacteria Paraclostridium and psychrophile Psychrobacter, making up 6.94% and 2.56%, respectively. Furthermore, the potential benefits and application of improved POM hydrolysis by start-up stage recovery via mesh sieves combined with anaerobic fermentation were evaluated, including selective POM entrapment, alleviation of blockage and wear, and a reduction in aeration energy. By the proposed strategy, carbon availability for biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes is anticipated to be improved more economically than that can be achieved by primary clarifier elimination.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Particulate organic matter (POM) / Hydrolysis / Microbial community / Mass balance

References

[1] Al-Shorgani N K N, Ali E, Kalil M S, Yusoff W M W (2012). Bioconversion of butyric acid to butanol by Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1–4 (ATCC 13564) in a limited nutrient medium. BioEnergy Research, 5(2): 287–293

[2] Benneouala M, Bareha Y, Mengelle E, Bounouba M, Sperandio M, Bessiere Y, Paul E (2017). Hydrolysis of particulate settleable solids (PSS) in activated sludge is determined by the bacteria initially adsorbed in the sewage. Water Research, 125(1): 400–409

[3] Bronn T, Newcombe R L, Fiepke S (2008). Fine mesh, rotating belt sieve for primary treatment of municipal wastewater: Pilot project results. In: Proceedings of the Water Environment Federation 2008. Alexandria: IWA Publication, 1714–1718

[4] Chen H B, Wang D B, Li X M, Yang Q, Zeng G M (2015). Enhancement of post-anoxic denitrification for biological nutrient removal: effect of different carbon sources. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 22(8): 5887–5894

[5] Chen R, Guo L, Dang H (2011). Gene cloning, expression and characterization of a cold-adapted lipase from a psychrophilic deep-sea bacterium Psychrobacter sp. C18. World Journal of Microbiology & Biotechnology, 27(2): 431–441

[6] Crutchik D, Frison N, Eusebi A L, Fatone F (2018). Biorefinery of cellulosic primary sludge towards targeted short chain fatty acids, phosphorus and methane recovery. Water Research, 136(1): 112-119

[7] Daneshvar M I, Douglas M P, Weyant R S (2001). Cellular fatty acid composition of Lautropia mirabilis. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 39(11): 4160–4162

[8] Didem Okutman T, Ozlem K, Glinsel Güçlü İnsel, Sleyman Süleyman O, Derin O, Henri S (2009). Biodegradability and denitrification potential of settleable chemical oxygen demand in domestic wastewater. Water Environment Research: A Research Publication of the Water Environment Federation, 81(7): 715–727

[9] Duan Y, Zhou A, Wen K, Liu Z, Liu W, Wang A, Yue X (2019). Upgrading VFAs bioproduction from waste activated sludge via co-fermentation with soy sauce residue. Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, 13(1): 3–12

[10] Ekama G A, Dold P L, Marais G V R (1986). Procedures for determining influent COD fractions and the maximum specific growth rate of heterotrophs in activated sludge systems. Water Science and Technology, 18(6): 91–114

[11] Gu A Z, Onnis-Hayden A (2010). Protocol to evaluate alternative external carbon sources for denitrification at full-scale wastewater treatment plants. Water Environment Research Foundation, Report No. NUTR1R06b. New York: IWA Publication

[12] He J, Wang X, Yin X, Li Q, Li X, Zhang Y, Deng Y (2018). Insights into biomethane production and microbial community succession during semi-continuous anaerobic digestion of waste cooking oil under different organic loading rates. AMB Express, 8(1): 92–102

[13] He L, Ji F Y, He X L (2013). Validation of accumulation models for inorganic suspended solids of different particle size in an activated sludge system. Bioresource Technology, 149:51–57

[14] Henze M, Holm Kristensen G, Strube R (1994). Rate-capacity characterization of wastewater for nutrient removal processes. Water Science and Technology, 29(7): 101–107

[15] Jiang Y, Shang Y, Gong T, Hu Z, Yang K, Shao S (2020). High concentration of Mn²⁺ has multiple influences on aerobic granular sludge for aniline wastewater treatment. Chemosphere, 240: 124945–124953

[16] Jing Z, Tao G, Yu Z, Jie H, Liu-Qiang Z, Wen-Jun L, Xing H, Shun-Peng L (2012). Terrimonas rubra sp. nov., isolated from a polluted farmland soil and emended description of the genus Terrimonas. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 62(11): 2593–2597

[17] Laloo A E, Wei J, Wang D, Narayanasamy S, Vanwonterghem I, Waite D, Steen J, Kaysen A, Heintz-Buschart A, Wang Q, Schulz B, Nouwens A, Wilmes P, Hugenholtz P, Yuan Z, Bond P L (2018). Mechanisms of persistence of the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria nitrosomonas to the biocide free nitrous acid. Environmental Science & Technology, 52(9): 5386–5397

[18] Lei X, Li Y, Wang G, Chen Y, Lai Q, Chen Z, Zhang J, Liao P, Zhu H, Zheng W, Zheng T (2015). Phaeodactylibacter luteus sp. nov., isolated from the oleaginous microalga Picochlorum sp. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 65(8): 2666–2670

[19] Lin L, Wen L, Chen S, Yang X, Liu X, Wan C (2015). Effect of alkaline treatment pattern on anaerobic fermentation of swine manure. Process Biochemistry, 50(11): 1710–1717

[20] Liu J R, TannerR S, Peter S, Norbert W, Mckenzie C A, Janssen P H, Seviour E M, Lawson P A, AllenT D, Seviour R J (2002). Emended description of the genus Trichococcus, description of Trichococcus collinsii sp. nov., and reclassification of Lactosphaera pasteurii as Trichococcus pasteurii comb. nov. and of Ruminococcus palustris as Trichococcus palustris comb. nov. in the low. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 52(4): 1113–1127

[21] Liu Z, Zhou A, Liu H, Wang S, Liu W, Wang A, Yue X (2020). Extracellular polymeric substance decomposition linked to hydrogen recovery from waste activated sludge: Role of peracetic acid and free nitrous acid co-pretreatment in a prefermentation-bioelectrolysis cascading system. Water Research, 176: 115724–115737

[22] Mamais D, Jenkins D, Prrr P (1993). A rapid physical-chemical method for the determination of readily biodegradable soluble COD in municipal wastewater. Water Research, 27(1): 195–197

[23] Martineau C, Villeneuve C, Mauffrey F, Villemur R (2013). Hyphomicrobium nitrativorans sp. nov., isolated from the biofilm of a methanol-fed denitrification system treating seawater at the Montreal Biodome. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 63(Pt 10): 3777–3781

[24] McMahon K D, Dojka M A, Pace N R, Jenkins D, Keasling J D (2002). Polyphosphate kinase from activated sludge performing enhanced biological phosphorus removal. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 68(10): 4971–4978

[25] Orhon D (2015). Evolution of the activated sludge process: the first 50 years. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology (Oxford, Oxfordshire), 90(4): 608–640

[26] Pasztor I, Thury P, Pulai J (2009). Chemical oxygen demand fractions of municipal wastewater for modeling of wastewater treatment. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, 6(1): 51–56

[27] Ramsay I R, Pullammanappallil P C (2001). Protein degradation during anaerobic wastewater treatment: Derivation of stoichiometry. Biodegradation, 12(4): 247–256

[28] Ruiken C J, Breuer G, Klaversma E, Santiago T, van Loosdrecht M C M (2013). Sieving wastewater: Cellulose recovery, economic and energy evaluation. Water Research, 47(1): 43–48

[29] Sasi Jyothsna T S, Tushar L, Sasikala C, Ramana C V (2016). Paraclostridium benzoelyticum gen. nov. sp. nov., isolated from marine sediment and reclassification of Clostridium bifermentans as Paraclostridium bifermentans comb. nov. Proposal of a new genus Paeniclostridium gen. nov. to accommodate Clostridium sordellii and Clostridium ghonii. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 66(3): 1268–1274

[30] Wang Y, Li Y, Song J, Chen X, Zhang C, Zhai Y, Zhao B, Ruan Z, Zhao B, Wang H, Gerritsen J (2015). Romboutsia sedimentorum sp. nov., isolated from alkaline-saline lake sediment and emended description of the genus Romboutsia. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 65(4): 1193–1198

[31] Wett B (2006). Solved upscaling problems for implementing deammonification of rejection water. Water Science and Technology, 53(12): 121–128

[32] Xie E, Xu X Y, Luo G Y (2013). Study on a novel reactor of sludge process reduction for domestic sewage treatment. Environmental Technology, 34(12): 1593–1599

[33] Yang G, Zhang P, Zhang G, Wang Y, Yang A (2015). Degradation properties of protein and carbohydrate during sludge anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology, 192: 126–130

[34] Zhang K, Song L, Dong X (2010). Proteiniclasticum ruminis gen. nov., sp. nov., a strictly anaerobic proteolytic bacterium isolated from yak rumen. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 60(9): 2221–2225

[35] Zuo N, He J, Ma X, Peng Y, Li X (2016). Phosphorus removal performance and population structure of phosphorus-accumulating organisms in HA-A/A-MCO sludge reduction process. Bioengineered Bugs, 7(5): 327–333

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Major Science and Technology Program of the Ministry of Environment protection of China (Nos. 2019YFC0408601 and 2019YFC0408602), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51708386, 21501129 and 21707099), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2016M-591416), the State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse Foundation (No. PCRRF17021), the Scientific and Technological Project of Shanxi Province (No. 201701D221230), the Key Research and Development (R&D) Project of Shanxi Province (Nos. 201903D321057 and 201903D321055), the Youth Science and Technology Foundation of Gansu Province (Nos. 1506RJYA154 and 18JR3RA023), and the Provincial Science and Technology Plan Projects of Gansu Province (No. 2015017).

lectronic Supplementary Material

E Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-020-1304-3 and is accessible for authorized users.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2020 Higher Education Press