Biological and Chemical Wastewater Treatment Processes

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental and Green Processes".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 January 2023) | Viewed by 12693

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Guest Editor
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
Interests: wastewater treatment and recycling; sustainable technologies; green technologies; coagulation
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wastewater generation is inevitable. Therefore, it is essential to treat it in an efficient and effective way so as to minimize its effects on the environment. The development and implementation of wastewater treatment technologies have led to the emergence of many processes used for wastewater ultra-purification. This has been largely driven by: treatment costs, the discovery of new and rare contaminants and the adoption of new and stringent water quality standards. Most of these new technologies have high efficiency in removing contaminants from wastewater. However, biological and physio-chemical processes stand out in terms of cost-efficiency, ease of maintenance and operation.

This Special Issue focusing on “Biological and Physio-chemical wastewater Treatment Processes” invites original, novel and rigorously researched quality work and results that have generic significance. The overall and main focus is on the publication of original and impactful research on the recent developments of sustainable and green technologies focusing on wastewater treatment.

Topics on wastewater treatment covered include, but are not limited to:

  • Physio-chemical processes (Coagulation and Flocculation, Ion exchange, Adsorption/ Biosorption);
  • Biological processes (Membrane bioreactors, Aerobic processes, Anaerobic processes, Biofilm processes);
  • Residual management and resource recovery;
  • Contaminants (microbial, chemical and anthropogenic particles), related water quality monitoring, sensing, fate, and assessment.

Dr. Qunshan Wei
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • biological processes
  • physio-chemical processes
  • sustainable technologies
  • green technologies

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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30 pages, 4747 KiB  
Article
Solidification Treatment of Wastewater and Waste Soil Generated during Binhai Reclamation: A Study on Mechanical Properties and Resource Utilization
by Aiwu Yang, Jian Xu and Caili Xu
Processes 2023, 11(10), 2983; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11102983 - 15 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1443
Abstract
Coastal reclamation projects generate an accumulation of wastewater and waste soil, resulting in highly saturated soft soil. Presently, there is a scarcity of research regarding the lightweight solidification and three-dimensional mechanical properties of these soils. Additionally, there is a dearth of specialized models [...] Read more.
Coastal reclamation projects generate an accumulation of wastewater and waste soil, resulting in highly saturated soft soil. Presently, there is a scarcity of research regarding the lightweight solidification and three-dimensional mechanical properties of these soils. Additionally, there is a dearth of specialized models for stabilizing soils containing wastewater using lightweight solidification technology, and pertinent engineering solutions are lacking. By introducing solidifying agents and foaming agents to treat wastewater in soft fill soil, a novel type of solidified lightweight material is produced, imparting strength. This study investigates its three-dimensional mechanical properties. During triaxial tests with equal stress (σ3) and equal b values, the softening of the curve noticeably diminished at b = 0.25. In the plane strain test, cohesion increased by 10.7% compared to the traditional triaxial tests, and the internal friction angle increased by 11%. Subsequently, a three-dimensional Cambridge model was established. At elevated confining pressures, the corrected curve closely approximated the test curve, demonstrating a minimum model accuracy of approximately 96% at a confining pressure of 20 KPa. These findings offer valuable numerical references and a theoretical foundation for the efficient utilization of wastewater and waste soil. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Chemical Wastewater Treatment Processes)
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19 pages, 2727 KiB  
Article
Synergistic Effect of As(III)/Fe(II) Oxidation by Acidianus brierleyi and the Exopolysaccharide Matrix for As(V) Removal and Bioscorodite Crystallization: A Data-Driven Modeling Insight
by Ricardo Aguilar-López, Sergio A. Medina-Moreno, Ashutosh Sharma and Edgar N. Tec-Caamal
Processes 2022, 10(11), 2363; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10112363 - 11 Nov 2022
Viewed by 1542
Abstract
Bioscorodite crystallization is a promising process for the proper immobilization of arsenic from acidic metallurgical wastewater, and Acidianus brierleyi is an effective archaeon to oxidize Fe(II) and As(III) simultaneously. This paper deals with the development of an experimentally validated mathematical model to gain [...] Read more.
Bioscorodite crystallization is a promising process for the proper immobilization of arsenic from acidic metallurgical wastewater, and Acidianus brierleyi is an effective archaeon to oxidize Fe(II) and As(III) simultaneously. This paper deals with the development of an experimentally validated mathematical model to gain insight into the simultaneous processes of Fe(II) and As(III) oxidation via microbial cells and the exopolysaccharide (EPS) matrix, As(V) precipitation, and bioscorodite crystallization, which are affected by several factors. After the mathematical structure was proposed, a model fitting was performed, finding global determination coefficients between 0.96 and 0.99 (with p-values < 0.001) for all the variables. The global sensitivity analysis via Monte Carlo simulations allowed us to identify the critical parameters whose sensitivity depends on culture conditions. The model was then implemented to evaluate the effect of cell concentration, Fe(II) and As(III) concentrations (at Fe/As = 1.4), and oxidation rate constants for A. brierleyi and the EPS region, noting that these factors play an important role in the process. Our results showed that the proposed model can be used as a robust simulation platform for the further analysis of the bioscorodite crystallization process under extremophilic conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Chemical Wastewater Treatment Processes)
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16 pages, 3877 KiB  
Article
Simultaneous Removal of Organic Matter and Nutrients from High Strength Organic Wastewater Using Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR)
by Ambika Sharma and Manpreet Singh Bhatti
Processes 2022, 10(10), 1903; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10101903 - 20 Sep 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3328
Abstract
Industrial wastewater discharges often contain high levels of organic matter and nutrients, which can lead to eutrophication and constitute a serious hazard to receiving waters and aquatic life. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of using a sequencing batch [...] Read more.
Industrial wastewater discharges often contain high levels of organic matter and nutrients, which can lead to eutrophication and constitute a serious hazard to receiving waters and aquatic life. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of using a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) to treat high-strength organic wastewater for the removal of both chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus). At a constant COD concentration of approximately 1000 mg/L, the effects of cycle time (3 and 9 h) and various C:N:P ratios (100:5:2, 100:5:1, 100:10:1, and 100:10:2) were investigated using four identical SBRs (R1, R2, R3, and R4). According to experimental data, a significant high removal, i.e., 90%, 98.5%, and 84.8%, was observed for COD, NH3-N, and PO43−-P, respectively, when C:N:P was 100:5:1, at a cycle time of 3 h. Additionally, when cycle time was increased to 9 h, the highest levels of COD removal (95.7%), NH3-N removal (99.6%), and PO43−-P removal (90.31%) were accomplished. Also, in order to comprehend the primary impacts and interactions among the various process variables, the data was statistically examined using analysis of variance (ANOVA) at a 95% confidence level, which revealed that the interaction of cycle time and C/N ratio, cycle time and C/P ratio is significant for COD and NH3-N removal. However, the same interaction was found to be insignificant for PO43−-P removal. Sludge volume index (SVI30 and SVI10) and sludge settleability were studied, and the best settling was found in R3 with SVI30 of 55 mL/g after 9 h. Further evidence that flocs were present in reactors came from an average ratio of SVI 30/SVI 10 = 0.70 after 9 h and 0.60 after 3 h. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Chemical Wastewater Treatment Processes)
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14 pages, 1973 KiB  
Article
Enhancement Effects of Water Magnetization and/or Disinfection by Sodium Hypochlorite on Secondary Slaughterhouse Wastewater Effluent Quality and Disinfection By-Products
by Nagham R. Elsaidy, Nooran S. Elleboudy, Adel Alkhedaide, Fatma A. Abouelenien, Mona H. Abdelrahman, Mohamed Mohamed Soliman and Mustafa Shukry
Processes 2022, 10(8), 1589; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10081589 - 12 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2244
Abstract
Wastewater disinfection is one of the most critical issues in protecting human health against exposure to waterborne pathogenies. Chlorine is among the most commonly used disinfectants in many wastewaters’ treatment plants. Nevertheless, disquiets regarding chlorine’s disinfection by-products (DBPs) have grown recently. One of [...] Read more.
Wastewater disinfection is one of the most critical issues in protecting human health against exposure to waterborne pathogenies. Chlorine is among the most commonly used disinfectants in many wastewaters’ treatment plants. Nevertheless, disquiets regarding chlorine’s disinfection by-products (DBPs) have grown recently. One of the most effective ways to reduce DBPs generation is to reduce chlorine dosage by increasing disinfectant efficiency. Using magnetic field (MF) in wastewater treatment is one of the promising research topics with significant progression. This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of using a magnetic field and/or sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) disinfection on secondary slaughterhouse wastewater effluent quality and by-products. Three groups of secondary slaughterhouse wastewater effluents were used: G1 was treated with NaClO only at 0, 2, 4, and 6 mg/L; G2 was treated with exposure to MF at 14,500 gausses, and G3 was pretreated with MF, then NaClO at the exact chlorine dosages and MF strength. The results showed an augmented effect when using a magnetic field as a pre-treatment step before NaClO treatment in the remediation of slaughterhouse wastewater over the use of any of them solely. The removal rate of COD and BOD increased by up to 26 and 20%, respectively, when pre-treatment with MF was employed as a mean percentage at all chlorine dosages, while TSS, TDS, and EC increased by 23.5 and 5.5%, respectively. Over and above, the removal rate for each TN and TP increased by 12 and 6.5% as a mean percentage at all chlorine dosages when using a combination of the two. In addition, pre-treatment by MF reduced the required concentration of NaClO from 6 to 4 mg/L, resulting in an 11% increase in the reduction rate of total coliform count, 8% increase in the reduction rate of fecal coliforms, and 10% increase in the reduction rate of E. coli and 5% in Salmonella via increasing the disinfection efficiency of NaClO. Finally, it decreased the concentration of Chloroform produced by more than 77.2% by using the higher concentration of NaClO (6 mg/L). The issue that approved the promising approach of using MF as a pre-treatment step in the treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater provides the advantage of using smaller dosages of disinfection, lowering the cost of the procedure process, and reducing the harmful concentration of DBPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Chemical Wastewater Treatment Processes)
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Review

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20 pages, 2834 KiB  
Review
Unaccounted Microplastics in the Outlet of Wastewater Treatment Plants—Challenges and Opportunities
by Abilash Gangula, Tilak Chhetri, Manal Atty, Bruce Shanks, Raghuraman Kannan, Anandhi Upendran and Zahra Afrasiabi
Processes 2023, 11(3), 810; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11030810 - 8 Mar 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2730
Abstract
Since the 1950s, plastic production has skyrocketed. Various environmental and human activities are leading to the formation and accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, causing detrimental effects on water, soil, plants, and living creatures. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are one [...] Read more.
Since the 1950s, plastic production has skyrocketed. Various environmental and human activities are leading to the formation and accumulation of microplastics (MPs) in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, causing detrimental effects on water, soil, plants, and living creatures. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are one of the primary MP management centers meant to check their entry into the natural systems. However, there are considerable limitations in effectively capturing, detecting, and characterizing these MPs in the inlet and outlet of WWTPs leading to “unaccounted MPs” that are eventually discharged into our ecosystems. In order to assess the holistic picture of the MPs’ distribution in the ecosystems, prevent the release of these omitted MPs into the environment, and formulate regulatory policies, it is vital to develop protocols that can be standardized across the globe to accurately detect and account for MPs in different sample types. This review will cover the details of current WWTP adoption procedures for MP management. Specifically, the following aspects are discussed: (i) several processes involved in the workflow of estimating MPs in the outlet of WWTPs; (ii) key limitations or challenges in each process that would increase the uncertainty in accurately estimating MPs; (iii) favorable recommendations that would lead to the standardization of protocols in the workflow and facilitate more accurate analysis of MPs; (iv) research opportunities to tackle the problem of ‘missing MPs’; and (v) future research directions for the efficient management of MPs. Considering the burgeoning research interest in the area of MPs, this work would help early scientists in understanding the current status in the field of MP analysis in the outlet of WWTPs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological and Chemical Wastewater Treatment Processes)
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