We investigated the dynamics of the microfauna community in activated sludge, with special reference to sludge bulking, in two parallel municipal wastewater treatment systems in Beijing, China over a period of 14 months. Annual cyclic changes in microfauna community structures occurred in both systems. RELATE analysis based on Spearman's Rank correlation indicated that microfauna community stru...

Inorganic aluminum ions, [Al(H2O)6]3+, [Al(OH)(H2O)5]2+, and [Al(OH)2(H2O)4]+, are toxic to a number of crops. The aim of this study was to estimate the danger of soil contamination of bioavailable aluminum and heavy metals forms because of alum sludge which was a by-product of water, and wastewater treatment technology using aluminum coagulant is introduced into the soil. Aluminum and selected...

Each day, 15,000 tons of sludge solids are removed from U.S. wastewater treatment plants. A combination of events has caused disposal of this sludge to build up to a major problem for an increasing number of communities. Municipal sanitary wastewater contains about 0.35 pounds of dry solids per person per day. Added to this load are various commercial and industrial wastes. Ever-greater quantit...

This paper presents a brief characterization of the method of electrochemical conditioning of sludge, using the effect of low-temperature plasma. Primary sludge from the municipal wastewater treatment plant in Gorzów was analysed. The sludge was conditioned electrochemically, chemically with calcium hydroxide and dihydrogen dioxide, and using a combined method – electrochemical and chemical. Fo...

The production of sewage sludge has been sharply increasing by municipal sludge treatment plants in China. Sewage sludge is a difficult waste to manage not only due to the high quantities produced but also due to its high concentration of heavy metals and pathogens. The pyrolytic conversion of sewage sludge to biochar and then applied to the land is a sustainable management potion. Therefore, t...

The study was focused on two goals: (i) the confirmation of the existence of a general relation between the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sewage sludge and in plants growing in it, regardless of the type and content of sewage sludge, and (ii) if so, the answer to the question whether the uptake of PAHs by plants depends on their type. To realize the set aims, the content...

Municipal wastewater sludges are complex fluids displaying non-Newtonian characteristics. Whilst rheological properties of sludges are very important for the design and operation of wastewater treatment facilities, there is a lack of information regarding these properties, particularly for mixtures of primary and secondary sludges. The rheology of wastewater treatment sludge has been widely stu...

Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) was investigated in the single aeration tank of a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Microelectrode measurements and batch experiments were performed to test for the presence of SND. Microelectrodes recorded the presence of O(2) concentration gradients in individual activated sludge flocs. When the O(2) concentration in the bulk liquid was...

Using sludge obtained from municipal sewage treatment plants, the response of viable bacterial populations during the sludge ozonation process was investigated by a combination of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) assay and propidium monoazide (PMA)-Miseq sequencing. The ATP assay was first optimized for application on sludge samples by adjusting the sludge solid contents and reaction time. PMA-modi...