Modeling light and temperature influence on ammonium removal by Scenedesmus sp. under outdoor conditions

[EN] The ammonium removal rate of the microalga Scenedesmus sp. was studied under outdoor conditions. Microalgae were grown in a 500 L flat-plate photobioreactor and fed with the effluent of a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor. Temperature ranged between 9.5 WC and 32.5 WC and maximum light intensity was 1,860 μmol·m2·s1. A maximum specific ammonium removal rate of 3.71 mg NH4 þ-N·g TSS1·h1 was measured (at 22.6 WC and with a light intensity of 1,734 μmol·m2·s1). A mathematical model considering the influence of ammonium concentration, light and temperature was validated. The model successfully reproduced the observed values of ammonium removal rate obtained and it is thus presented as a useful tool for plant operation.This research work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (CTM2011-28595-C02-01/02) jointly with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Generalitat Valenciana (ACOMP2013/203), which are gratefully acknowledged. This research was also supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport via a pre-doctoral FPU fellowship to the first author (AP2009-4903). The authors also gratefully acknowledge the support from the water management entities of the Generalitat Valenciana (EPSAR).Ruiz Martinez, A.; Serralta Sevilla, J.; Seco Torrecillas, A.; Ferrer, J. (2016). Modeling light and temperature influence on ammonium removal by Scenedesmus sp. under outdoor conditions. Water Science & Technology. 74(8):1964-1970. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2016.383S19641970748Åkerström, A. M., Mortensen, L. M., Rusten, B., & Gislerød, H. R. (2014). Biomass production and nutrient removal by Chlorella sp. as affected by sludge liquor concentration. Journal of Environmental Management, 144, 118-124. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.05.015Bernard, O., & Rémond, B. (2012). Validation of a simple model accounting for light and temperature effect on microalgal growth. Bioresource Technology, 123, 520-527. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2012.07.022Brennan, L., & Owende, P. (2010). Biofuels from microalgae—A review of technologies for production, processing, and extractions of biofuels and co-products. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 14(2), 557-577. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2009.10.009Broekhuizen, N., Park, J. B. K., McBride, G. B., & Craggs, R. J. (2012). Modification, calibration and verification of the IWA River Water Quality Model to simulate a pilot-scale high rate algal pond. Water Research, 46(9), 2911-2926. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2012.03.011Giménez, J. B., Robles, A., Carretero, L., Durán, F., Ruano, M. V., Gatti, M. N., … Seco, A. (2011). Experimental study of the anaerobic urban wastewater treatment in a submerged hollow-fibre membrane bioreactor at pilot scale. Bioresource Technology, 102(19), 8799-8806. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2011.07.014Kurano, N., & Miyachi, S. (2005). Selection of microalgal growth model for describing specific growth rate-light response using extended information criterion. Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering, 100(4), 403-408. doi:10.1263/jbb.100.403McGinn, P. J., Dickinson, K. E., Park, K. C., Whitney, C. G., MacQuarrie, S. P., Black, F. J., … O’Leary, S. J. B. (2012). Assessment of the bioenergy and bioremediation potentials of the microalga Scenedesmus sp. AMDD cultivated in municipal wastewater effluent in batch and continuous mode. Algal Research, 1(2), 155-165. doi:10.1016/j.algal.2012.05.001Reynolds, C. S. (2006). The Ecology of Phytoplankton. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511542145Rouzic, B. L., & Bertru, G. (1997). Phytoplankton community growth in enrichment bioassays: Possible role of the nutrient intracellular pools. Acta Oecologica, 18(2), 121-133. doi:10.1016/s1146-609x(97)80069-0Ruiz-Martinez, A., Serralta, J., Pachés, M., Seco, A., & Ferrer, J. (2014). Mixed microalgae culture for ammonium removal in the absence of phosphorus: Effect of phosphorus supplementation and process modeling. Process Biochemistry, 49(12), 2249-2257. doi:10.1016/j.procbio.2014.09.002Ruiz-Martínez, A., Serralta, J., Romero, I., Seco, A., & Ferrer, J. (2015). Effect of intracellular P content on phosphate removal in Scenedesmus sp. Experimental study and kinetic expression. Bioresource Technology, 175, 325-332. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2014.10.081Ruiz-Martínez, A., Serralta, J., Seco, A., & Ferrer, J. (2015). Effect of temperature on ammonium removal in Scenedesmus sp. Bioresource Technology, 191, 346-349. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2015.05.070Singh, G., & Thomas, P. B. (2012). Nutrient removal from membrane bioreactor permeate using microalgae and in a microalgae membrane photoreactor. Bioresource Technology, 117, 80-85. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2012.03.125Wang, B., & Lan, C. Q. (2011). Biomass production and nitrogen and phosphorus removal by the green alga Neochloris oleoabundans in simulated wastewater and secondary municipal wastewater effluent. Bioresource Technology, 102(10), 5639-5644. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2011.02.054Wang, L., Min, M., Li, Y., Chen, P., Chen, Y., Liu, Y., … Ruan, R. (2009). Cultivation of Green Algae Chlorella sp. in Different Wastewaters from Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 162(4), 1174-1186. doi:10.1007/s12010-009-8866-7Wu, Y.-H., Li, X., Yu, Y., Hu, H.-Y., Zhang, T.-Y., & Li, F.-M. (2013). An integrated microalgal growth model and its application to optimize the biomass production of Scenedesmus sp. LX1 in open pond under the nutrient level of domestic secondary effluent. Bioresource Technology, 144, 445-451. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2013.06.065Wu, Y.-H., Hu, H.-Y., Yu, Y., Zhang, T.-Y., Zhu, S.-F., Zhuang, L.-L., … Lu, Y. (2014). Microalgal species for sustainable biomass/lipid production using wastewater as resource: A review. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 33, 675-688. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2014.02.026Xin, L., Hong-ying, H., & Yu-ping, Z. (2011). Growth and lipid accumulation properties of a freshwater microalga Scenedesmus sp. under different cultivation temperature. Bioresource Technology, 102(3), 3098-3102. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2010.10.05

Effect of intracellular P content on phosphate removal in Scenedesmus sp. Experimental study and kinetic expression

The present work determines the effect of phosphorus content on phosphate uptake rate in a mixed culture of Chlorophyceae in which the genus Scenedesmus dominates. Phosphate uptake rate was determined in eighteen laboratory batch experiments, with samples taken from a progressively more P-starved culture in which a minimum P content of 0.11% (w/w) was achieved. The results obtained showed that the higher the internal biomass P content, the lower the phosphate removal rate. The highest specific phosphate removal rate was 6.5 mgPO4 P gTSS -1 h -1 . Microalgae with a P content around 1% (w/w) attained 10% of this highest removal rate, whereas those with a P content of 0.6% (w/w) presented 50% of the maximum removal rate. Different kinetic expressions were used to reproduce the experimental data. Best simulation results for the phosphate uptake process were obtained combining Steele equation and Hill function to represent the effect of light and intracellular phosphorus content, respectively.This research work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO, CTM2011-28595-C02-01/02) jointly with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which are gratefully acknowledged.Ruiz Martínez, A.; Serralta Sevilla, J.; Romero Gil, I.; Seco Torrecillas, A.; Ferrer, J. (2015). Effect of intracellular P content on phosphate removal in Scenedesmus sp. Experimental study and kinetic expression. Bioresource Technology. 175:325-332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2014.10.08132533217

A semi-industrial AnMBR plant for urban wastewater treatment at ambient temperature: Analysis of the filtration process, energy balance and quantification of GHG emissions

A semi-industrial scale AnMBR urban wastewater treatment plant was operated for 580 days at ambient temperature (ranging from 10-30 ○C) to assess its long-term filtration performance, energy balance and GHG emissions. The applied 20ºC-standardized transmembrane flux (J20) was varied between 15 and 25 LMH and the specific gas demand per m2 of membrane (SGDm) was modified between 0.10 to 0.40 Nm3·m-2·h-1 (corresponding to a specific gas demand per permeate volume (SGDP) between 10 to 20 Nm3·m-3). The filtration strategy allowed successful long-term operations without any chemical cleaning requirements and little fouling for 233 days. The plant operated as a net energy producer for more than 50 % of the experimental period, with an average net energy demand of -0.169±0.341, -0.190±0.376 and -0.205±0.447 kWh·m-3, considering 0 %, 50 % and 70 % of dissolved methane recovery, respectively. Finally, demethanization of AnMBR effluent is needed to achieve an environmentally sustainable operation of the technology. Therefore, the combination of AnMBR with degassing membranes appears as a suitable alternative to conventional wastewater treatment

OPRM1 influence on and effectiveness of an individualized treatment plan for prescription opioid use disorder patients

Screening for opioid use disorder should be considered in chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) patients with long-term use of opioids. The aim of our study was to assess the effectiveness of an individualized treatment plan (ITP) for prescription opioid dependence that included screening of pharmacogenetic markers. An observational prospective study was performed using prescription opioid-dependent CNCP outpatients (n = 88). Patients were divided into nonresponders, responders, or high responders according to their response to the ITP. Genotyping of OPRM1 (A118G), OPRD1 (T921C), COMT (G472A), ABCB1 (C3435T), and ARRB2 (C8622T) was performed by real-time PCR. Our ITP achieved a significant reduction of the morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD) in 64% of responders, including 33% of high responders. Nonopioid medication or buprenorphine use was significantly higher at final versus basal visit. 118-AA OPRM1 patients required significantly lower MEDD at basal and final visits. Our ITP showed effectiveness and security in reducing MEDD in opioid-dependent patients, with good conversion to buprenorphine that was more pronounced in 118-AA OPRM1 patients

Maximizing resource recovery from urban wastewater through an innovative facility layout

[EN] This research work proposes an innovative layout for urban wastewater treatment based on anaerobic technology, microalgal cultivation and membrane technology. The proposed Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) system can treat urban wastewater efficiently, complying with legal discharge limits and allowing for resource recovery, i.e. energy, nutrients and reclaimed water. In addition, the proposed layout produces less solid wastes than a conventional wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and it is possible to recover energy as biogas, not only from the original wastewater sources but also from the biomass generated in the WRRF system

Resource recovery from sulphate-rich sewage through an innovative anaerobic-based water resource recovery facility (WRRF)

[EN] This research work proposes an innovative water resource recovery facility (WRRF) for the recovery of energy, nutrients and reclaimed water from sewage, which represents a promising approach towards enhanced circular economy scenarios. To this aim, anaerobic technology, microalgae cultivation, and membrane technology were combined in a dedicated platform. The proposed platform produces a high-quality solid- and coliform-free effluent that can be directly discharged to receiving water bodies identified as sensitive areas. Specifically, the content of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus in the effluent was 45 mg COD.L-1 , 14.9 mg N.L-1 and 0.5 mg P.L-1 , respectively. Harvested solar energy and carbon dioxide biofixation in the form of microalgae biomass allowed remarkable methane yields (399 STP L CH 4.kg(-1) CODinf ) to be achieved, equivalent to theoretical electricity productions of around 0.52 kWh per m 3 of wastewater entering the WRRF. Furthermore, 26.6% of total nitrogen influent load was recovered as ammonium sulphate, while nitrogen and phosphorus were recovered in the biosolids produced (650 +/- 77 mg N.L-1 and 121.0 +/- 7.2 mg P.L-1).This research was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO, Projects CTM2014-54980-C2-1-R and CTM2014-54980-C2-2-R) jointly with the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which are gratefully acknowledged. This research was also supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport via two pre-doctoral FPU fellowships (FPU14/05082 and FPU15/02595) and by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness via two pre-doctoral FPI fellowships (BES-2015-071884, BES-2015-073403) and one Juan de la Cierva contract (FJCI-2014-21616). The authors would also like to acknowledge the support received from Generalitat Valenciana via two VALithornd post-doctoral grants (APOSTD/2014/049 and APOSTD/2016/104) and via the fellowships APOTI/2016/059 and CPI-16-155, as well as the financial aid received from the European Climate KIC association for the 'MAB 2.0' Project (APIN0057_ 2015-3.6-230_ P066-05) and Universitat Politecnica de Valencia via a pre-doctoral FPI fellowship to the seventh author.Seco Torrecillas, A.; Aparicio Antón, SE.; Gonzalez-Camejo, J.; Jiménez Benítez, AL.; Mateo-Llosa, O.; Mora-Sánchez, JF.; Noriega-Hevia, G.... (2018). Resource recovery from sulphate-rich sewage through an innovative anaerobic-based water resource recovery facility (WRRF). Water Science & Technology. 78(9):1925-1936. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2018.492S19251936789Bair, R. A., Ozcan, O. O., Calabria, J. L., Dick, G. H., & Yeh, D. H. (2015). Feasibility of anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR) for onsite sanitation and resource recovery (nutrients, energy and water) in urban slums. Water Science and Technology, 72(9), 1543-1551. doi:10.2166/wst.2015.349Barat, R., Serralta, J., Ruano, M. V., Jiménez, E., Ribes, J., Seco, A., & Ferrer, J. (2013). Biological Nutrient Removal Model No. 2 (BNRM2): a general model for wastewater treatment plants. Water Science and Technology, 67(7), 1481-1489. doi:10.2166/wst.2013.004Batstone, D. J., Hülsen, T., Mehta, C. M., & Keller, J. (2015). Platforms for energy and nutrient recovery from domestic wastewater: A review. Chemosphere, 140, 2-11. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.10.021Bilad, M. R., Arafat, H. A., & Vankelecom, I. F. J. (2014). Membrane technology in microalgae cultivation and harvesting: A review. Biotechnology Advances, 32(7), 1283-1300. doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2014.07.008Carrington E.-G. 2001 Evaluation of Sludge Treatments for Pathogen Reduction. http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/pubs/home.htm.Cookney, J., Mcleod, A., Mathioudakis, V., Ncube, P., Soares, A., Jefferson, B., & McAdam, E. J. (2016). Dissolved methane recovery from anaerobic effluents using hollow fibre membrane contactors. Journal of Membrane Science, 502, 141-150. doi:10.1016/j.memsci.2015.12.037De Morais, M. G., & Costa, J. A. V. (2007). Biofixation of carbon dioxide by Spirulina sp. and Scenedesmus obliquus cultivated in a three-stage serial tubular photobioreactor. Journal of Biotechnology, 129(3), 439-445. doi:10.1016/j.jbiotec.2007.01.009Giménez, J. B., Robles, A., Carretero, L., Durán, F., Ruano, M. V., Gatti, M. N., … Seco, A. (2011). Experimental study of the anaerobic urban wastewater treatment in a submerged hollow-fibre membrane bioreactor at pilot scale. Bioresource Technology, 102(19), 8799-8806. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2011.07.014Giménez, J. B., Martí, N., Ferrer, J., & Seco, A. (2012). Methane recovery efficiency in a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor (SAnMBR) treating sulphate-rich urban wastewater: Evaluation of methane losses with the effluent. Bioresource Technology, 118, 67-72. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2012.05.019Giménez, J. B., Bouzas, A., Carrere, H., Steyer, J.-P., Ferrer, J., & Seco, A. (2018). Assessment of cross-flow filtration as microalgae harvesting technique prior to anaerobic digestion: Evaluation of biomass integrity and energy demand. Bioresource Technology, 269, 188-194. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2018.08.052González-Camejo, J., Serna-García, R., Viruela, A., Pachés, M., Durán, F., Robles, A., … Seco, A. (2017). Short and long-term experiments on the effect of sulphide on microalgae cultivation in tertiary sewage treatment. Bioresource Technology, 244, 15-22. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2017.07.126Martí, N., Barat, R., Seco, A., Pastor, L., & Bouzas, A. (2017). Sludge management modeling to enhance P-recovery as struvite in wastewater treatment plants. Journal of Environmental Management, 196, 340-346. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.12.074Moosbrugger R. , WentzelM. & EkamaG.1992Simple Titration Procedures to Determine H2CO3 Alkalinity and Short-chain Fatty Acids in Aqueous Solutions Containing Known Concentrations of Ammonium, Phosphate and Sulphide Weak Acid/Bases. Water. Res. Commission, Report, No. TT 57/92.Morales, N., Boehler, M., Buettner, S., Liebi, C., & Siegrist, H. (2013). Recovery of N and P from Urine by Struvite Precipitation Followed by Combined Stripping with Digester Sludge Liquid at Full Scale. Water, 5(3), 1262-1278. doi:10.3390/w5031262Pretel, R., Durán, F., Robles, A., Ruano, M. V., Ribes, J., Serralta, J., & Ferrer, J. (2015). Designing an AnMBR-based WWTP for energy recovery from urban wastewater: The role of primary settling and anaerobic digestion. Separation and Purification Technology, 156, 132-139. doi:10.1016/j.seppur.2015.09.047Pretel, R., Robles, A., Ruano, M. V., Seco, A., & Ferrer, J. (2016). Economic and environmental sustainability of submerged anaerobic MBR-based (AnMBR-based) technology as compared to aerobic-based technologies for moderate-/high-loaded urban wastewater treatment. Journal of Environmental Management, 166, 45-54. doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2015.10.004Sharma, B., Sarkar, A., Singh, P., & Singh, R. P. (2017). Agricultural utilization of biosolids: A review on potential effects on soil and plant grown. Waste Management, 64, 117-132. doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2017.03.002Sialve, B., Bernet, N., & Bernard, O. (2009). Anaerobic digestion of microalgae as a necessary step to make microalgal biodiesel sustainable. Biotechnology Advances, 27(4), 409-416. doi:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2009.03.001Sid, S., Volant, A., Lesage, G., & Heran, M. (2017). Cost minimization in a full-scale conventional wastewater treatment plant: associated costs of biological energy consumption versus sludge production. Water Science and Technology, 76(9), 2473-2481. doi:10.2166/wst.2017.423Viruela, A., Murgui, M., Gómez-Gil, T., Durán, F., Robles, Á., Ruano, M. V., … Seco, A. (2016). Water resource recovery by means of microalgae cultivation in outdoor photobioreactors using the effluent from an anaerobic membrane bioreactor fed with pre-treated sewage. Bioresource Technology, 218, 447-454. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2016.06.11

Influence of free ammonia extraction in methane production from human urine

Human urine has a high chemical oxygen demand (COD) content which makes anaerobic treatments potentially appropriate for the management of yellow waters, allowing for energy recovery. However, its high N content makes this treatment challenging. The present work studied the viability of performing an anaerobic digestion process for COD valorization on a real (not synthetic) urine stream at laboratory scale. To deal with nitrogen inhibition, two different ammonia extraction systems were proposed and tested. With them, a proper evolution of acidogenesis and methanogenesis was observed. Nitrogen was recovered in the form of ammonium sulphate, which could be used for agriculture, in two different ways: ammonia extraction from the urine stream before feeding the reactor and in situ extraction in the reactor. The first method, which proved to be a better strategy consisted in a desorption process (NaOH addition, air bubbling and acid (H2SO4) absorption column, HCl for final pH adjustment) whereas the in situ extraction in the reactor consisted of an acid (H2SO4) absorption column installed in the biogas recycling line of both reactors. Stable methane production over 220 mL/g COD was achieved and methane content in the biogas was stable around 71%

Effect of temperature on ammonium removal in Scenedesmus sp

The effect of temperature on microalgal ammonium uptake was investigated by carrying out four batch experiments in which a mixed culture of microalgae, composed mainly of Scenedesmus sp., was cultivated under different temperatures within the usual temperature working range in Mediterranean climate (15-34 ºC). Ammonium removal rates increased with temperature up to 26 ºC and stabilized thereafter. Ratkowsky and Cardinal Temperatures models successfully reproduced the experimental data. Optimum (31.3 ºC), minimum (8.8 ºC) and maximum (46.1 ºC) temperatures for ammonium removal by Scenedesmus sp. under the studied conditions were obtained as model parameters. These temperature-related parameters constitute very useful information for designing and operating wastewater treatment systems using these microalgae.This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO, CTM2011-28595-C02-01/02), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (pre doctoral FPU fellowship to the first author (AP2009-4903)). The support is gratefully acknowledged. The authors would also like to thank the water management entities of the Generalitat Valenciana (EPSAR).Ruiz Martinez, A.; Serralta Sevilla, J.; Seco Torrecillas, A.; Ferrer, J. (2015). Effect of temperature on ammonium removal in Scenedesmus sp. Bioresource Technology. 191:346-349. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2015.05.070S34634919