Reducing H2S production by O-2 feedback control during large-scale sewage sludge composting

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production patterns and the influence of oxygen (O-2) concentration were studied based on a well operated composting plant. A real-time, online multi-gas detection system was applied to monitor the concentrations of H2S and O-2 in the pile during composting. The results indicate that H2S was mainly produced during the early stage of composting, especially during the first 40 h. Lack of available O-2 was the main reason for H2S production. Maintaining the O-2 concentration higher than 14% in the pile could reduce H2S production. This study suggests that shortening the interval between aeration or aerating continuously to maintain a high O-2 concentration in the pile was an effective strategy for restraining H2S production in sewage sludge composting. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enrichment of the hydrogen-producing microbial community from marine intertidal sludge by different pretreatment methods

To determine the effects of pretreatment on hydrogen production and the hydrogen-producing microbial community, we treated the sludge from the intertidal zone of a bathing beach in Tianjin with four different pretreatment methods, including acid treatment, heat-shock, base treatment as well as freezing and thawing. The results showed that acid pretreatment significantly promoted the hydrogen production by sludge and provided the highest efficiency of hydrogen production among the four methods. The efficiency of the hydrogen production of the acid-pretreated sludge was 0.86 +/- 0.07 mol H-2/mol glucose (mean +/- S.E.), whereas that of the sludge treated with heat-shock, freezing and thawing, base method and control was 0.41 +/- 0.03 mol H-2/mol glucose, 0.17 +/- 0.01 mol H-2/mol glucose, 0.11 +/- 0.01 mol H-2/mol glucose and 0.20 +/- 0.04 mol H-2/mol glucose, respectively. The result of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) showed that pretreatment methods altered the composition of the microbial community that accounts for hydrogen production. Acid and heat pretreatments were favorable to enrich the dominant hydrogen-producing bacterium, i.e. Clostridium sp., Enterococcus sp. and Bacillus sp., However, besides hydrogen-producing bacteria, much non-hydrogen-producing Lactobacillus sp. was also found in the sludge pretreated with base, freezing and thawing methods. Therefore, based on our results, we concluded that, among the four pretreatment methods using acid, heat-shock, base or freezing and thawing, acid pretreatment was the most effective method for promoting hydrogen production of microbial community. (C) 2009 Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fermentative hydrogen production by the new marine Pantoea agglomerans isolated from the mangrove sludge

A new fermentative hydrogen-producing bacterium was isolated from mangrove sludge and identified as Pantoea agglomerans using light microscopic examination, Biolog test and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The isolated bacterium, designated as P. agglomerans BH-18, is a new strain that has never been optimized as a potential hydrogen-producing bacterium. In this study, the culture conditions and the hydrogen-producing ability of P. agglomerans BH-18 were examined. The strain was a salt-tolerant facultative anaerobe with the initial optimum pH value at 8.0-9.0 and temperature at 30 degrees C on cell growth. During fermentation, hydrogen started to evolve when cell growth entered late-exponential phase and was mainly produced in the stationary phase. The strain was able to produce hydrogen over a wide range of initial pH from 5 to 10, with an optimum initial pH of 6. The level of hydrogen production was affected by the initial glucose concentration, and the optimum value was found to be 10 g glucose/l. The maximum hydrogen-producing yield (2246 ml/l) and overall hydrogen production rate (160 ml/l/h) were obtained at an initial glucose concentration of 10 g/l and an initial pH value of 7.2 in marine culture conditions. In particular, the level of hydrogen production was also affected by the salt concentration. Hydrogen production reached a higher level in fresh culture conditions than in marine ones. In marine conditions, hydrogen productivity was 108 ml/l/h at an initial glucose concentration of 20 g/l and pH value of 7.2, whereas, it increased by 27% in fresh conditions. In addition, this strain could produce hydrogen using glucose and many other carbon sources such as fructose, sucrose, sorbitol and so on. As a result, it is possible that P. agglomerans BH-18 is used for biohydrogen production and biological treatment of mariculture wastewater and marine organic waste. (C) 2008 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigation of polyhydroxyalkanoate production by an activated sludge microbial consortium treating artificial dairy wastewater

Petrochemical plastics/polymers are a common feature of day to day living as they occur in packaging, furniture, mobile phones, computers, construction equipment etc. However, these materials are produced from non-renewable materials and are resistant to microbial degradation in the environment. Considerable research has therefore been carried out into the production of sustainable, biodegradable polymers, amenable to microbial catabolism to CO2 and H2O. A key group of microbial polyesters, widely considered as optimal replacement polymers, are the Polyhydroxyalkaonates (PHAs). Primary research in this area has focused on using recombinant pure cultures to optimise PHA yields, however, despite considerable success, the high costs of pure culture fermentation have thus far hindered the commercial viability of PHAs thus produced. In more recent years work has begun to focus on mixed cultures for the optimisation of PHA production, with waste incorporations offering optimal production cost reductions. The scale of dairy processing in Ireland, and the high organic load wastewaters generated, represent an excellent potential substrate for bioconversion to PHAs in a mixed culture system. The current study sought to investigate the potential for such bioconversion in a laboratory scale biological system and to establish key operational and microbial characteristics of same. Two sequencing batch reactors were set up and operated along the lines of an enhanced biological phosphate removal (EBPR) system, which has PHA accumulation as a key step within repeated rounds of anaerobic/aerobic cycling. Influents to the reactors varied only in the carbon sources provided. Reactor 1 received artificial wastewater with acetate alone, which is known to be readily converted to PHA in the anaerobic step of EBPR. Reactor 2 wastewater influent contained acetate and skim milk to imitate a dairy processing effluent. Chemical monitoring of nutrient remediation within the reactors as continuously applied and EBPR consistent performances observed. Qualitative analysis of the sludge was carried out using fluorescence microscopy with Nile Blue A lipophillic stain and PHA production was confirmed in both reactors. Quantitative analysis via HPLC detection of crotonic acid derivatives revealed the fluorescence to be short chain length Polyhydroxybutyrate, with biomass dry weight accumulations of 11% and 13% being observed in reactors 1 and 2, respectively. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry for medium chain length methyl ester derivatives revealed the presence of hydroxyoctanoic, -decanoic and -dodecanoic acids in reactor 1. Similar analyses in reactor 2 revealed monomers of 3-hydroxydodecenoic and 3-hydroxytetradecanoic acids. Investigation of the microbial ecology of both reactors as conducted in an attempt to identify key species potentially contributing to reactor performance. Culture dependent investigations indicated that quite different communities were present in both reactors. Reactor 1 isolates demonstrated the following species distributions Pseudomonas (82%), Delftia acidovorans (3%), Acinetobacter sp. (5%) Aminobacter sp., (3%) Bacillus sp. (3%), Thauera sp., (3%) and Cytophaga sp. (3%). Relative species distributions among reactor 2 profiled isolates were more evenly distributed between Pseudoxanthomonas (32%), Thauera sp (24%), Acinetobacter (24%), Citrobacter sp (8%), Lactococcus lactis (5%), Lysinibacillus (5%) and Elizabethkingia (2%). In both reactors Gammaproteobacteria dominated the cultured isolates. Culture independent 16S rRNA gene analyses revealed differing profiles for both reactors. Reactor 1 clone distribution was as follows; Zooglea resiniphila (83%), Zooglea oryzae (2%), Pedobacter composti (5%), Neissericeae sp. (2%) Rhodobacter sp. (2%), Runella defluvii (3%) and Streptococcus sp. (3%). RFLP based species distribution among the reactor 2 clones was as follows; Runella defluvii (50%), Zoogloea oryzae (20%), Flavobacterium sp. (9%), Simplicispira sp. (6%), Uncultured Sphingobacteria sp. (6%), Arcicella (6%) and Leadbetterella bysophila (3%). Betaproteobacteria dominated the 16S rRNA gene clones identified in both reactors. FISH analysis with Nile Blue dual staining resolved these divergent findings, identifying the Betaproteobacteria as dominant PHA accumulators within the reactor sludges, although species/strain specific allocations could not be made. GC analysis of the sludge had indicated the presence of both medium chain length as well short chain length PHAs accumulating in both reactors. In addition the cultured isolates from the reactors had been identified previously as mcl and scl PHA producers, respectively. Characterisations of the PHA monomer profiles of the individual isolates were therefore performed to screen for potential novel scl-mcl PHAs. Nitrogen limitation driven PHA accumulation in E2 minimal media revealed a greater propensity among isoates for mcl-pHA production. HPLC analysis indicated that PHB production was not a major feature of the reactor isolates and this was supported by the low presence of scl phaC1 genes among PCR screened isolates. A high percentage distribution of phaC2 mcl-PHA synthase genes was recorded, with the majority sharing high percentage homology with class II synthases from Pseudomonas sp. The common presence of a phaC2 homologue was not reflected in the production of a common polymer. Considerable variation was noted in both the monomer composition and ratios following GC analysis. While co-polymer production could not be demonstrated, potentially novel synthase substrate specificities were noted which could be exploited further in the future.

Environmental impacts of the coal ash spill in Kingston, Tennessee: an 18-month survey.

An 18 month investigation of the environmental impacts of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) coal ash spill in Kingston, Tennessee combined with leaching experiments on the spilled TVA coal ash have revealed that leachable coal ash contaminants (LCACs), particularly arsenic, selenium, boron, strontium, and barium, have different effects on the quality of impacted environments. While LCACs levels in the downstream river water are relatively low and below the EPA drinking water and ecological thresholds, elevated levels were found in surface water with restricted water exchange and in pore water extracted from the river sediments downstream from the spill. The high concentration of arsenic (up to 2000 μg/L) is associated with some degree of anoxic conditions and predominance of the reduced arsenic species (arsenite) in the pore waters. Laboratory leaching simulations show that the pH and ash/water ratio control the LCACs' abundance and geochemical composition of the impacted water. These results have important implications for the prediction of the fate and migration of LCACs in the environment, particularly for the storage of coal combustion residues (CCRs) in holding ponds and landfills, and any potential CCRs effluents leakage into lakes, rivers, and other aquatic systems.

Survey of the potential environmental and health impacts in the immediate aftermath of the coal ash spill in Kingston, Tennessee.

An investigation of the potential environmental and health impacts in the immediate aftermath of one of the largest coal ash spills in U.S. history at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston coal-burning power plant has revealed three major findings. First the surface release of coal ash with high levels of toxic elements (As = 75 mg/kg; Hg = 150 microg/kg) and radioactivity (226Ra + 228Ra = 8 pCi/g) to the environment has the potential to generate resuspended ambient fine particles (< 10 microm) containing these toxics into the atmosphere that may pose a health risk to local communities. Second, leaching of contaminants from the coal ash caused contamination of surface waters in areas of restricted water exchange, but only trace levels were found in the downstream Emory and Clinch Rivers due to river dilution. Third, the accumulation of Hg- and As-rich coal ash in river sediments has the potential to have an impact on the ecological system in the downstream rivers by fish poisoning and methylmercury formation in anaerobic river sediments.

Surface area, porosity and water adsorption properties of fine volcanic ash particles

Our understanding on how ash particles in volcanic plumes react with coexisting gases and aerosols is still rudimentary, despite the importance of these reactions in influencing the chemistry and dynamics of a plume. In this study, six samples of fine ash (<100 μm) from different volcanoes were measured for their specific surface area, as, porosity and water adsorption properties with the aim to provide insights into the capacity of silicate ash particles to react with gases, including water vapour. To do so, we performed high-resolution nitrogen and water vapour adsorption/desorption experiments at 77 K and 303 K, respectively. The nitrogen data indicated as values in the range 1.1-2.1 m2/g, except in one case where as of 10 m2/g was measured. This high value is attributed to incorporation of hydrothermal phases, such as clay minerals, in the ash surface composition. The data also revealed that the ash samples are essentially non-porous, or have a porosity dominated by macropores with widths >500 Å All the specimens had similar pore size distributions, with a small peak centered around 50 Å These findings suggest that fine ash particles have relatively undifferentiated surface textures, irrespective of the chemical composition and eruption type. Adsorption isotherms for water vapour revealed that the capacity of the ash samples for water adsorption is systematically larger than predicted from the nitrogen adsorption as values. Enhanced reactivity of the ash surface towards water may result from (i) hydration of bulk ash constituents; (ii) hydration of surface compounds; and/or (iii) hydroxylation of the surface of the ash. The later mechanism may lead to irreversible retention of water. Based on these experiments, we predict that volcanic ash is covered by a complete monolayer of water under ambient atmospheric conditions. In addition, capillary condensation within ash pores should allow for deposition of condensed water on to ash particles before water reaches saturation in the plume. The total mass of water vapour retained by 1 g of fine ash at 0.95 relative water vapour pressure is calculated to be ∼10-2 g. Some volcanic implications of this study are discussed. © Springer-Verlag 2004.

Calorific Ash Carbon And Nitrogen-Content In Relation To Length And Dry-Weight Of Parathemisto-Gaudichaudi (Amphipoda Hyperiidea) In The North-East Atlantic Ocean

The calorific, ash, carbon and nitrogen content, length and dry weight were determined for the hyperiid Parathemisto gaudichaudi (Guerin). Regression equations for all these variables were determined so that they can be estimated by calculation from measurements of length of the hyperiid. Mean values for total nitrogen and carbon were 7.79±0.85% and 36.80±4.18% of the dry weight, respectively. The carbon to calorific equivalent for P. gaudichaudi was 10.37 kcal g-1 carbon (9.13 kcal g-1 when corrected for nitrogen). The calorific value for ash-free adult P. gaudichaudi was 5.138 kcal g-1±1.309 (4.510 kcal g-1 when corrected for nitrogen). This large variation in the calorific content (coefficient of variation of 25.84%) can be accounted for largely by variation in the ash content (coefficient of variation of 21.84%). The calorific value determined for P. gaudichaudi is similar to that measured for other carnivorous crustaceans and adds support to the hypothesis that animals with high calorific content have a low fecundity and an energy-rich store which can be used as a buffer during unfavourable periods in their life.