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In this study, the effect of zeolite powder addition on submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) on membrane permeability, and the removals for COD, NH_3-N, TN were investigated. Through the parallel operation of control and test systems, it was found that the zeolite powder addition could alleviate the ultra-filtration membrane fouling and enhance the membrane permeability. On the basis of experimental investigations, a concept of "protection coating layer" was proposed to illustrate the phenomenon of UF membrane fouling. In addition, the removal for COD in test system was more stable, a little higher compared to the control system. Due to the combination of nitrification and ion exchange, a more excellent removal for NH_3-N in test system was obtained regardless of influent NH_3-N loading rate. It was also found that a mean 25% higher TN removal took place in the test system, and ion exchange and simultaneous nitrification and de-nitrification were analyzed to be main factors. During the stable operation period, the SOURs of test pectively zeolite powder added sludge and control activated studge were measured to be 75mgO_2/(gML VSS·h) and 24 mgO_2/(gML VSS·h) respectively, it meant that the zeolite powder addition could enhance the microorganism activity significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A molecular biology method, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), in which the pre-treatment was improved in allusion to the media of the constructed wetlands (CW), e.g. the soil and the grit, was used to investigate the vertical distribution characteristics of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) quantity and the relation with oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) in the Typha latifolia constructed wetlands under three different loadings in summer from May to September. Results showed that the quantity of the AOB decreased in the Typha latifolia CW with the increase of vertical depth. However, the AOB quantity was 2-4 times the quantity of the control in the root area. Additionally, ORP in the rhizosphere was found to be higher than other areas, which showed that Typha latifolia CW was in an aerobic state in summer when using simulated non-point sewage at the rural area of Taihu Lake in China and small town combined sewage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, worldwide concern over global warming has been expressed. It has been reported that domestic wastewater and its treatment processes are sources of CH4 and N2O, designated as greenhouse gases, the reduction of which was noted to be extremely important at the Third Conference of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (Conference Of the Parties; COP3). Here we report a study of a field that has been unexplored until now: analytical evaluation of the properties of the emission of CH4 and N2O and methods of restricting their emission in soil-trench wastewater treatment processes, the use of which is spreading, mainly in developing nations. The results have provided the following information. A field fact-finding survey has confirmed that soil trenches emit 9.3–13.9 g CH4 m−3 and 8.2–12.2 gN2O m−3 in Japan, and 3.0–4.5 g CH4 m−3 and 3.3–5.0 g N2O m−3 in China. The emission properties widely vary according to the structure of the treatment system. The conversion ratio for nitrogen in the wastewater influent to N2O by a soil trench is between 2 and a maximum of 8%, and ranges from a few- to several 10-fold as much as that with the activated sludge method, suggesting that this can be a large source of N2O emission. It has also clearly been shown that the aerobic–anaerobic state inside the treatment system is closely related to its CH4 and N2O emission characteristics. By performing ventilation to maintain the oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) near the trench at an aerobic condition of +200 mV or more, the quantities of CH4 and N2O emitted can be reduced by as much as 50% from the levels without this ventilation, and that this can make a large contribution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Activated alumina was studied for removing phosphate from water, and the recovery of adsorbed phosphate on activated aluminum oxide was also tested. Phosphate solution was prepared using distilled water, tap water and Luoshijiang River water, respectively. All the phosphate adsorption tests using activated alumina were proved to be well fitted with Langmuir isotherm and the respective maximum adsorption amount were 20.88, 32.15 and 29.85 mg x g(-1), respectively. The presence of electrolyte in water could be a positive factor for phosphate removal. As the pH value of phosphate solution became lower the Zeta potential of activated alumina increased, which could enhance the phosphate removal efficiency of activated alumina. The recovery tests indicated that NaOH (0.1 mol x L(-1)) solution could almost completely extract the phosphate adsorbed by activated alumina.

Harmful algal bloom (HAB) occurs frequently and causes serious damage. To study the early-warning and prediction technology of HAB is of significance for the early-warning and prediction, ecological control, and disaster prevention and mitigation of HAB. This paper reviewed the research progress in the early-warning and prediction technologies of HAB, including transport prediction, specific factors critical value prediction, data-driven model, and ecological math model, and evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of these four types of technologies. Some new ideas were brought forward about the prediction of cyanobacterial growth rate based on cell characteristics, and the early-warning of cyanobacterial bloom based on algal community characteristics.

Nitrification is a key step in the global nitrogen cycle. Classically, nitrifying bacteria are chemoautotroph. Recently, bacteria that have the ability of heterotrophic nitrification have been intensively studied as potential microorganisms that may be used to overcomeproblems inherent in the conventional method. This review gives a broad overview of the current status of heterotrophic nitrification including the heterotrophic species which nitrify actively, optimal condition for nitrification, heterotrophic nitrification pathway, enzymatic system and isolation methods. Also, the promising prospects of heterotrophic nitrification are especially introduced.

Objective: To characterize the heterotrophic nitrifying bacteria., Methods: The bacteria were isolated from membrane bioreactor for treating synthetic wastewater using the method newly introduced in this study. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to validate the nonexistence of autotrophic ammonia oxidizers and nitrite oxidizers. Batch tests were carried out to investigate the capability of heterotrophic nitrification by the pure culture. Phylogenetic analysis of the pure culture was performed., Results: A heterotrophic nitrifier, named Bacillus sp. LY, was newly isolated from the membrane bioreactor system in which the efficiency of TN removal was up to 80%. After 24-day, incubation, the removal efficiency of COD by Bacillus sp. LY was 71.7%. The ammonium nitrogen removal rate after assimilation nearly ceased by Bacillus sp. LY was 74.7%. The phylogenetic tree of Bacillus sp. LY and the neighbouring nitrifiers were given., Conclusions: The batch test results indicate that Bacillus sp. LY can utilize the organic carbon as the source of assimilation when it grows on glucose and ammonium chloride medium accompanying the formation of oxidized-nitrogen. It also can denitrify nitrate while nitrifying. Bacillus sp. LY may become a new bacterial resource for heterotrophic nitrification and play a bioremediation role in nutrient removal.

A heterotrophic nitrifier, named Bacillus sp. LY, was newly isolated from a membrane bioreactor (MBR). Bacillus sp. LY could utilize the organic carbon as the source of assimilation when it grew on glucose and ammonium chloride medium companying the formation of oxidized-nitrogen. It also could denitrify nitrate while nitrification. After 24 days incubation, the removal efficiencies of the COD and TN by Bacillus sp. LY were 71.7% and 61.2%, respectively. The phylogenetic analysis of Bacillus sp. LY was performed and the phylogenetic tree of Bacillus sp. LY and the neighbouring nitrifiers was given. Bacillus sp. LY could become a new bacterial resource for heterotrophic nitrification and might play a bioremediation role for nutrient removal.

Characteristics of simultaneous removal of ammonium and phosphate from wastewater by zeolite synthesized from fly ash was investigated. The amount of ammonium and phosphate removed by zeolitized fly ash changed with time, and approached to a constant value after adsorption time of 24h was reached. The amount of ammonium and phosphate removed also increased with the rise in the amount of zeolite added, but slackened above the solid/liquid ratio of 8 g x L(-1). The removal rate of ammonium by zeolitized fly ash could rise to the maximum value of 60% when pH was between 7 and 9, and declined out of the pH range. For phosphate, minimum removal rate of about 85% was obtained within pH 7-9, and the removal rate increased to about 100% out of the pH range. The adsorption of ammonium on zeolitized fly ash was an exothermic reaction; the removal rate of ammonium could decrease with the rise in temperature. On the contrary, the adsorption of phosphate was an endothermic reaction, and the rise in temperature favored the removal of phosphate by zeolitized fly ash. The adsorptive ability of ammonium on zeolitized fly ash was: Al-Z > Mg-Z > Ca-Z > Na-Z > Fe-Z. The order for phosphate was: Al-Z > Fe-Z > Ca-Z > Mg-Z > Na-Z. It was proposed that the mechanism for the removal of ammonium from wastewater by zeolitized fly ash was cation exchange process, while the mechanism for phosphate was not only the precipitation reaction of phosphate with cation in solution, but also adsorption mechanism.

Method of isolating the heterotrophic nitrifiers and the characterization of the heterotrophic nitrification were studied. Two heterotrophic nitrifiers were newly isolated from a membrane bioreactor (MBR) in which the TN removal efficiency was 80.1%. The batch test results indicate that Bacillus sp. LY and Brevibacillus sp. LY could utilize the organic carbon as the source of assimilation when they grew on glucose and ammonium chloride medium companying the formation of oxidized-nitrogen. After 24 days incubation, the removal efficiencies of the COD by Bacillus sp. LY and Brevibacillus sp. LY were 71.7% and 52.6%, respectively. The removal efficiencies of ammonium nitrogen by the two isolates were 78.2% and 51.2% and the TN removal efficiencies by the two isolates were 61.2% and 35.6%, respectively.

The study presented the method for isolating the heterotrophic nitrifiers and the characterization of heterotrophic nitrification. Continuous tests via a membrane bioreactor (MBR) were operated under the controlled conditions to proliferate the nitrifiers. Heterotrophic nitrifying bacteria were isolated from the system in which the efficiency of total nitrogen (TN) removal was up to 80%. Since no autotrophic ammonium and nitrite oxidizers could be detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), oxidized-N production was unlikely to be catalyzed by autotrophic nitrifiers during the heterotrophic nitrifiers' isolation in this study. The batch test results indicate that the isolated heterotrophic bacteria were able to nitrify. After 3 weeks incubation, the efficiencies of the COD removal by the three isolated bacterial strains B1, B2, and B3 were 52.6%, 71.7%, and 77.7%, respectively. The efficiencies of the TN removal by B1, B2, and B3 were 35.6%, 61.2% and 68.7%, respectively.

In recent years, worldwide concern over global warming has been expressed. It has been reported that domestic wastewater and its treatment processes are sources of CH4 and N2O, designated as greenhouse gases, the reduction of which was noted to be extremely important at the Third Conference of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (Conference Of the Parties; COP3). Here we report a study of a field that has been unexplored until now: analytical evaluation of the properties of the emission of CH4 and N2O and methods of restricting their emission in soil-trench wastewater treatment processes, the use of which is spreading, mainly in developing nations. The results have provided the following information. A field fact-finding survey has confirmed that soil trenches emit 9.3-13.9 g CH4 m(-3) and 8.2-12.2 gN2O m(-3) in Japan, and 3.0-4.5 g CH4 m(-3) and 3.3-5.0 g N2O m(-3) in China. The emission properties widely vary according to the structure of the treatment system. The conversion ratio for nitrogen in the wastewater influent to N2O by a soil trench is between 2 and a maximum of 8%, and ranges from a few- to several 10-fold as much as that with the activated sludge method, suggesting that this can be a large source of N2O emission. It has also clearly been shown that the aerobic-anaerobic state inside the treatment system is closely related to its CH4 and N2O emission characteristics. By performing ventilation to maintain the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) near the trench at an aerobic condition of +200 mV or more, the quantities of CH4 and N2O emitted can be reduced by as much as 50% from the levels without this ventilation, and that this can make a large contribution.