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Water
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Bioreactors for Wastewater and Sludge Treatment
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Bioreactors for Wastewater and Sludge Treatment

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2023) | Viewed by 5212

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Francisco Osorio

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
Interests: water treatment; biofiltration; nitrogen removal; granular systems; salinity; emergent contaminants; molecular biology; WWTP by-products; sewage networks
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on the biological treatment of effluents, both of urban and industrial origin. The objectives/applications of the wastewater treatments remain open: organic matter, control of nutrients, emerging contaminants, or other specific contaminants. The different aspects that concern these treatments can be addressed: microbiology, design, operation, investment and exploitation costs, or energy optimization of processes. Any form of presence/retention of the biomass in the reactor will be of interest, with special attention to novel treatment systems: suspended culture, biofilm, hybrids, membranes, or granular.

This Special Issue will also pay attention to the by-products generated in the process, basically sludge and biogas. Aerobic or anaerobic processes in sludge treatment will be analyzed to obtain an optimal product depending on their final destination. In the case of anaerobic processes, the generation of biogas produced and the possibilities of its reuse will be analyzed. Current policies and regulations push us to manage these by-products with a circular economy approach. In this new paradigm, the application of anaerobic treatments stands out in order to reuse the digestate for agricultural or other purposes, to the detriment of other less hygienized amendments and the use of mineral fertilizers, and on the other hand, the use of biogas for energy purposes, preferably for direct use in the facilities themselves, or for other external uses.

Prof. Dr. Francisco Osorio
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biological reactors
  • urban and industrial effluents
  • pollution control
  • sludge treatment
  • sludge disposal
  • biogas generation and reuse
  • circular economy

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 1284 KiB  
Article
Microwave Treatment of Three Different Types of Sewage Sludge Based on Their Solar Drying Exposure Time: Effect on Microorganisms, Water Content and Agronomic Aspects
by Piyabalo Kodom, Antonio J. Aragón-Barroso, Edem K. Koledzi, Kwamivi Segbeaya, Jesús González-López and Francisco Osorio
Water 2024, 16(2), 321; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16020321 - 18 Jan 2024
Viewed by 1095
Abstract
This study aimed to treat sewage sludge through microwave irradiation at a laboratory scale. The objective was to investigate the effect of microwave irradiation on microorganisms, water content, organic matter, and agronomic nutrients present in sewage sludge. Three types of sewage sludges obtained [...] Read more.
This study aimed to treat sewage sludge through microwave irradiation at a laboratory scale. The objective was to investigate the effect of microwave irradiation on microorganisms, water content, organic matter, and agronomic nutrients present in sewage sludge. Three types of sewage sludges obtained from a full-scale wastewater treatment plant were considered: Sludge A (raw sludge), Sludge B (subjected to 15 days of solar exposure, achieving 48% dryness), and Sludge C (exposed to solar conditions and left open to the air for 23 months, reaching 94% dryness). These diverse sludges were exposed to microwave irradiation at various power levels (analysed variables: ε (Watts/g), θ (°C), T (min)). The specific exposure powers and temperature levels for the water reduction analysis were: 555, 955, 1355, and 1500 Watts/g and 55, 75, 95, and 105 °C, respectively. On the other hand, microbiological and agronomic nutrient analyses were conducted at 75 °C–1355 W and 95 °C–1355 W. After microwave exposure experiments, the results demonstrated the high effectiveness of microwave technology in eradicating indicator microorganisms of faecal contamination and reducing sludge volume while not affecting trace elements of significant agricultural value. The reduction in Escherichia Coli revealed that 4 min of irradiation was necessary to completely eliminate it to 0 ulog, indicating a 100% reduction, in Sludge A. In Sludges B and C, an additional 1 min was needed under conditions of 75 °C and 1355 W for a mass of 50 g. Moreover, Sludge A (46.27 × 105 or 4.80 ulog of dry matter), Sludge B (1.29 × 106 or 6.11 ulog of dry matter), and Sludge C (8.77 × 104 or 4.94 ulog of dry matter) were heavily contaminated with faecal coliforms. It took 6 min to reduce faecal coliforms to below the detection threshold. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioreactors for Wastewater and Sludge Treatment)
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14 pages, 1412 KiB  
Article
Optimizing Anaerobic Digestion at Ambient Temperatures: Energy Efficiency and Cost Reduction Potential in Panama
by Euclides Deago, Marian Ramírez, Kleveer Espino, Daniel Nieto, Maudi Barragán, Max García and Jessica Guevara-Cedeño
Water 2023, 15(14), 2653; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15142653 - 22 Jul 2023
Viewed by 2376
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is usually carried out at mesophilic temperatures (25–45 °C) in most countries, whether in temperate or tropical climates, which results in the need for heat injection and consequently increases costs. In this regard, batch AD tests were conducted at 25, [...] Read more.
Anaerobic digestion (AD) is usually carried out at mesophilic temperatures (25–45 °C) in most countries, whether in temperate or tropical climates, which results in the need for heat injection and consequently increases costs. In this regard, batch AD tests were conducted at 25, 28, and 35 °C, with 25 °C being the lowest ambient temperature in Panama, using thickened secondary sludge (TSS) and digested secondary sludge (DSS) from the Juan Diaz wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to determine the Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP). The AD study generated maximum mean BMP values of 163 mL CH4/g VS for DSS and 289.72 mL CH4/g VS for codigestion at 25 °C. The BMP value of DSS at 25 °C showed that it can still be used for energy generation, using the lowest ambient temperature recorded in Panama City. Likewise, trials at 25 °C showed a 43.48% reduction in the electrical energy produced compared to that generated at 38 °C in WWTP. This results in a reduction in energy, as the use of heat could be omitted and the energy costs required for the process are covered. In this regard, the novelty of this work lies in its investigation of anaerobic digestion at ambient temperatures, which represents a departure from conventional practices that typically require higher temperatures. By exploring the feasibility of anaerobic digestion within the temperature range of 25–35 °C, this study offers a novel approach to optimizing energy efficiency and reducing costs associated with elevated temperatures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioreactors for Wastewater and Sludge Treatment)
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Review

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21 pages, 884 KiB  
Review
Removal of Emerging Contaminants by Degradation during Filtration: A Review of Experimental Procedures and Modeling
by Tomás Undabeytia, José Manuel Jiménez-Barrera and Shlomo Nir
Water 2024, 16(1), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16010110 - 27 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1300
Abstract
Here, we review the efficient removal of organic micropollutants from water by degradation during filtration using specialized bacteria and enzymes. In both approaches, the filter provides essential binding sites where efficient degradation can occur. A model is presented that enables the simulation and [...] Read more.
Here, we review the efficient removal of organic micropollutants from water by degradation during filtration using specialized bacteria and enzymes. In both approaches, the filter provides essential binding sites where efficient degradation can occur. A model is presented that enables the simulation and prediction of the kinetics of filtration for a given pollutant concentration, flow rate, and filter dimensions and can facilitate the design of experiments and capacity estimates; it predicts the establishment of a steady state, during which the emerging concentrations of the pollutants remain constant. One method to remove cyanotoxins produced by Microcystis cyanobacteria, which pose a threat at concentrations above 1.0 µg L−1, is to use an activated granular carbon filter with a biofilm; this method resulted in the complete removal of the filtered toxins (5 µg L−1) during a long experiment (225 d). This system was analyzed using a model which predicted complete toxin removal when applied at a 10-fold-higher concentration. Enzymes are also used in filtration processes for the degradation of trace organic contaminants, mostly through the use of membrane bioreactors, where the enzyme is continuously introduced or maintained in the bioreactor, or it is immobilized on the membrane. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioreactors for Wastewater and Sludge Treatment)
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