Nutrients removal performance and sludge properties using anaerobic fermentation slurry from food waste as an external carbon source for wastewater treatment

Jialing Tang; Xiaochang C Wang; Yisong Hu; Yunhui Pu; Jin Huang; Huu Hao Ngo; Yonggang Zeng; Yuyou Li

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2018.09.087

Nutrients removal performance and sludge properties using anaerobic fermentation slurry from food waste as an external carbon source for wastewater treatment

Bioresour Technol. 2019 Jan:271:125-135. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.09.087. Epub 2018 Sep 17.

Authors

Jialing Tang¹, Xiaochang C Wang², Yisong Hu³, Yunhui Pu⁴, Jin Huang⁴, Huu Hao Ngo⁵, Yonggang Zeng⁴, Yuyou Li⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, China; Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China.
² Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; International Science & Technology Cooperation Center for Urban Alternative Water Resources Development, Xi'an 710055, China; Engineering Technology Research Center for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse, Shaanxi Province, China. Electronic address: xcwang@xauat.edu.cn.
³ Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; International Science & Technology Cooperation Center for Urban Alternative Water Resources Development, Xi'an 710055, China.
⁴ School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu 610106, China.
⁵ Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia.
⁶ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai 9808579, Japan.

PMID: 30265952
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.09.087

Abstract

Enhancement of nitrogen and phosphate removal using thermophilic fermentation slurry from food waste (FSFW) as external carbon source was investigated. Based on the batch tests, the soluble and particulate fractions of the FSFW acted as easily and slowly biodegradable carbon sources, respectively, and the fermented slurry showed the combined nutrients removal properties of soluble and solid organics. During the long-term operation of a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with FSFW for wastewater treatment, the sludge particle size increased obviously, the bacterial metabolic capacity improved significantly, and some functional microorganisms were enriched selectively, which significantly promoted the nitrogen removal efficiency (approximately 90%) by enhancing the anoxic denitrification and simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) processes. Moreover, high phosphate removal efficiency (above 98%) was achieved through the aerobic and anoxic phosphate accumulation processes. Thus, using the FSFW as supplementary carbon source is a suitable solution for both food waste disposal and wastewater treatment.

Keywords: Anaerobic fermentation; Carbon source; Food waste; Microbial community; Nutrients removal.

MeSH terms

Anaerobiosis
Bioreactors
Carbon / metabolism*
Denitrification
Fermentation*
Food*
Nitrification
Nitrogen / metabolism
Nutrients / metabolism*
Particle Size
Phosphates / metabolism
Refuse Disposal
Sewage*
Waste Disposal, Fluid*
Wastewater

Substances

Phosphates
Sewage
Waste Water
Carbon
Nitrogen