Using Ozonation and Alternating Redox Potential to Increase Nitrogen and Estrogen Removal While Decreasing Waste Activated Sludg
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USING OZONATION AND ALTERNATING REDOX POTENTIAL TO INCREASE NITROGEN AND ESTROGEN REMOVAL WHILE DECREASING WASTE ACTIVATED SLUDGE PRODUCTION by Magdalena Anna Dytczak A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Environmental Engineering Department of Civil Engineering University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 5V6 Canada Copyright © 2008 by Magdalena Anna Dytczak ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would first like to thank Dr. Jan Oleszkiewicz for all his help and support and for giving me the great opportunity to do Ph.D. research in Canada. I would like to thank my Advisory Committee for all help and encouragement; especially Dr. Kathleen Londry for all her mentoring, guidance throughout this work and never-ending enthusiasm. I would also like to thank Dr. Hansruedi Siegrist for helpful suggestions and comments regarding the ozone work. Thanks to Judy Tingley for her technical expertise and to Andre Dufresne for advice on the microscopy work. I would like to acknowledge the outstanding microbiology summer students: Jennifer Kroeker for great help with the lab reactors and image analysis, and Christopher Bryant Roy for the excellent technical assistance with estrogen studies. I am indebted to Dr. Ramesh Goel and Ms. Tania Datta, PhD Candidate from The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, for their invaluable training in the fluorescent microscopy techniques. Thanks to my colleagues Qiuyan Yuan, Dominika Celmer, Bartek Puchajda and Babak Rezania for their help in the lab, discussions, and all the support over the past four years. This research was financially supported by the University of Manitoba, a Strategic Project Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the City of Winnipeg - Water and Waste Department and by the Manitoba Conservation - Sustainable Development Innovation Fund. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT................................................................................................... viii NOMENCLATURE AND ABBREVIATIONS........................................... x LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................ xiv LIST OF TABLES.......................................................................................... xvii LIST OF APPENDICES................................................................................ xviii 1. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES........................................................ 1 1.1. Description of the problem............................................................................. 1 1.2. The proposed technique – ozonation.............................................................. 3 1.3. Impact of partial RAS ozonation on total process performance..................... 5 1.4. Biological nitrogen removal........................................................................... 7 1.5. Objectives....................................................................................................... 10 1.6. Chronology of lab experiments...................................................................... 11 2. ACCLIMATION OF ACTIVATED SLUDGE – ACHIEVEMENT OF 12 STEADY STATE........................................................................................... 2.1. Objectives....................................................................................................... 12 2.2. Materials and methods.................................................................................... 12 2.2.1. Assembling of reactors................................................................................... 12 2.2.2. Operating conditions....................................................................................... 13 2.2.3. Analysis.......................................................................................................... 16 2.2.4. Statistics......................................................................................................... 17 2.3. Results and discussion.................................................................................... 17 2.3.1. The pH and alkalinity..................................................................................... 18 2.3.2 Dissolved oxygen and oxidation-reduction potential................................... 19 2.3.3. Specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) ............................................................ 19 iii 2.3.4. Suspended solids............................................................................................ 19 2.3.5. COD removal................................................................................................. 21 2.3.6. Nitrogen removal........................................................................................... 21 2.3.7. Biomass structure........................................................................................... 22 2.4. Conclusions.................................................................................................... 25 3. WASTE ACTIVATED SLUDGE REDUCTION THROUGH OZONATION................................................................................................. 26 3.1. Introduction.................................................................................................... 26 3.2. Objectives....................................................................................................... 27 3.3. Materials and methods.................................................................................... 28 3.3.1. Ozonation........................................................................................................ 28 3.3.2. Analysis.......................................................................................................... 30 3.3.3. Statistics......................................................................................................... 31 3.4. Impact of ozone on the individual aspects of the wastewater treatment....... 31 3.4.1. Final effluent quality...................................................................................... 31 3.4.2. Biomass structure and microbial activity....................................................... 32 3.4.3. Decrease of waste activated sludge................................................................ 34 3.4.4. The production of additional carbon.............................................................. 37 3.4.5. Nitrogen removal........................................................................................... 40 3.4.5.1. The production of additional ammonia.......................................................... 40 3.4.5.2. Denitrification................................................................................................. 41 3.4.5.3. Nitrification.................................................................................................... 43 3.5. Conclusions.................................................................................................... 45 4. EFFECT OF OZONE TREATMENT ON FLOCCULATION AND 47 SEPARATION CHARACTERISTICS OF SOLIDS..................................... 4.1. Introduction.................................................................................................... 47 iv 4.2. Objectives....................................................................................................... 50 4.3. Materials and methods.................................................................................... 51 4.3.1. Analyses.......................................................................................................... 51 4.3.2. Statistics.......................................................................................................... 52 4.3.3. Batch tests with the biomass taken from the main reactors............................ 52 4.4. Results and Discussion................................................................................... 53 4.4.1. Total EPS in reactor sludge............................................................................ 53 4.4.2. Direct and long-term ozone impact on the EPS content and floc structure.... 55 4.4.3. Settling........................................................................................................... 59 4.4.4. Dewatering..................................................................................................... 62 4.4.5. Final batch test................................................................................................ 63 4.5. Conclusions.................................................................................................... 65 5. INVESTIGATION OF REASONS FOR HIGHER NITRIFICATION 66 RATES UNDER ALTERNATING ANOXIC/AEROBIC CONDITIONS... 5.1. Introduction.................................................................................................... 66 5.2. Materials and methods.................................................................................... 72 5.3. Results............................................................................................................ 74 5.3.1. Nitrification in the main aerobic and alternating reactors……..…………… 74 5.3.2. Batch tests: nitrification rate vs. anoxia, alkalinity and COD content……... 77 5.3.3. Batch tests: nitrification rate vs. initial substrate concentration……………. 81 5.4. Discussion ...................................................................................................... 84 5.4.1.