Research Publications (Water and Wastewater Technology)

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Anaerobic digestion model to enhance treatment of brewery wastewater for biogas production using UASB reactor
(Springerlink, 2015) Enitan, Abimbola Motunrayo; Adeyemo, Josiah; Swalaha, Feroz Mahomed; Bux, Faizal
Biogas produced from an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor is a clean and an environmentally friendly by-product that could be used to meet partial energy needs. In this study, a modified methane generation model (MMGM) was developed on the basis of mass balance prin-ciples to predict and increase methane production rate in a UASB reactor during anaerobic fermentation of brewery wastewater. Model coefficients were determined using the da-ta collected from a full-scale reactor. The results showed that the composition of wastewater and operational conditions of the reactor strongly influence the kinetics of the digestion process. Simulation of the reactor process using the model was used to predict the effect of organic loading rate and temperature on methane production with an optimum methane production at 29 °C and 8.26 g COD/L/day. Methane produc-tion rate increased from 0.29 to 1.46 L CH4/g COD, when the loading rate was increased from 2.0 to 8.26 g COD/L/day. The results showed the applicability of MMGM to predict usable methane component of biogas produced during anaerobic digestion of brewery wastewater. This study would help industries to predict and increase the generation of renewable energy by improving methane production from a UASB reac-tor. To the best of our knowledge, MMGM is the first reported developed model that could serve as a predictive tool for brewery wastewater treatment plant available in the literature.
Application of radio-immunoassays to assess the fate of estrogen EDCs in full scale wastewater treatment plants
(Taylor and Francis, 2013) Bux, Faizal; Surujlal-Naicker, Swastika
Wastewater effluents have been documented as major contributors of hormone endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) in to the aquatic ecosystem. The need for rapid, simple and cost effective methods to detect these EDCs has increased. The use of Radio-immunoassays (RIA) were assessed to determine the fate of estradiol in a laboratory batch test and the three natural estrogens (estrone (E1), estradiol (E2) and estriol (E3)) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with different types of configurations. Precision of the RIAs were done using intra-assay and inter-assay validations. The E2 intra-assay variation was <8% and inter-assay variation was <11% for standards 1 to 6. E1 RIA showed less than 8% for both the intra-assay and inter-assay variations. E3 RIA showed extremely good variations with both the intra and inter-assay variations being below <8% for all standards. The lab scale investigation showed a 94% reduction in E2 after 5 h and after 10 h both E2 and E1 were no longer detected. The simple activated sludge process, the biological nutrient removal (BNR) activated sludge process and the oxidation pond had final effluent concentrations of 10.75, 5.96 and 25.48 pg E2/mL respectively; 20.80, 9.30 and 46.55 pg E1/mL, respectively, and 0.12, 0.07 and 0.17 ng E3/mL, respectively. Thus far findings indicated that the RIA can be employed as a rapid technique for detection of natural estrogens in water. Results indicate that these potential problematic hormone EDCs are still present in final wastewater effluents that are discharged in to South African aquatic sources.
Assessment of brewery effluent composition from a beer producing industry in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
(PSP, 2014) Enitan, Abimbola Motunrayo; Swalaha, Feroz Mahomed; Adeyemo, Josiah; Bux, Faizal
The objective of the study was to assess the physico-chemical composition and process variations of the effluent from a brewery industry located in KwaZulu - Natal, South Africa during the months of September 2011 to May 2012. The parameters monitored for the quantitative analysis of brewery wastewater include the total and soluble chemical oxygen demand (TCOD and SCOD), biological oxygen demand (BOD5), total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), total suspended solids (TSS), volatile suspended solids (TSS), pH, ammonia (NH3), total oxidized nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, phosphorus, electrical conductivity (EC), crude protein and alkalinity content. On the average, the TCOD and SCOD concentrations of the brewery effluent were 5340.97 and 3902.24 mg/L, respectively, with average pH values of 4.0 to 6.7. The BOD and the solids content of the effluent from the brewery industry were high indicating that the effluent is of biodegradable type. This suggests that the effluent is very rich in organics, and its discharge into the water bodies or the municipal treatment plant can cause environmental pollution or damage the treatment plant. In addition, there were variations in the effluent composition throughout the period of monitoring which might be due to the activities that take place during the production process and the effects of peak periods of beer production. Thus, there is a need for an on-site effluent treatment plant in order to reduce the high pollution of the effluent prior to its discharge to the municipal wastewater treatment plants.
Biodiesel production potential of wastewater microalgae chlorella SP. under photoautotrophic and heterotrophic growth conditions
(BAAR, 2012-10) Viswanath, Buddolla; Bux, Faizal
In the present study, a microalgae (Chlorella sp.) isolated from wastewater pond has been studied in both photoautotrophic and heterotrophic growth conditions in bioreactor to evaluate the cell growth rate and lipid content for biodiesel production. Maximum amount of biomass was recovered from the bioreactor of Chlorella sp. grown under heterotrophic growth conditions with 8.90 gL-1 compared to photoautotrophic growth conditions, which was almost 3.6, fold lesser than the former. Heterotrophic growth of Chlorella sp. resulted in the accumulation of high lipid content in cells compared autotrophic growth by enhancing lipid production by 4.4 fold. The results suggested that heterotrophic growth of microalgae is an efficient method for the production of biomass and high lipid content in the cells, which can reduce the cost of microalgal biomass production and microalgal oil production. The quality of the oil produced from the cells of heterotrophic growth is also superior compared the oil from photoautotrophic growth.
Characterization of brewery wastewater composition
(WASET, 2015) Enitan, Abimbola Motunrayo; Adeyemo, Josiah; Kumari, Sheena K.; Swalaha, Feroz Mahomed; Bux, Faizal
Industries produce millions of cubic meters of effluent every year and the wastewater produced may be released into the surrounding water bodies, treated on-site or at municipal treatment plants. The determination of organic matter in the wastewater generated is very important to avoid any negative effect on the aquatic ecosystem. The scope of the present work is to assess the physicochemical composition of the wastewater produced from one of the brewery industry in South Africa. This is to estimate the environmental impact of its discharge into the receiving water bodies or the municipal treatment plant. The parameters monitored for the quantitative analysis of brewery wastewater include biological oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, ammonia, total oxidized nitrogen, nitrate, nitrite, phosphorus and alkalinity content. In average, the COD concentration of the brewery effluent was 5340.97 mg/l with average pH values of 4.0 to 6.7. The BOD5 and the solids content of the wastewater from the brewery industry were high. This means that the effluent is very rich in organic content and its discharge into the water bodies or the municipal treatment plant could cause environmental pollution or damage the treatment plant. In addition, there were variations in the wastewater composition throughout the monitoring period. This might be as a result of different activities that take place during the production process, as well as the effects of peak period of beer production on the water usage.
Class frequency distribution for a surface raw water quality index in the Vaal Basin
(South African Water Research Commission, 2014-04-02) Dzwairo, Bloodless; Otieno, Fredrick Alfred O.
A harmonised in-stream water quality guideline was constructed to develop a water quality index for the Upper and Middle Vaal Water Management Areas, in the Vaal basin of South Africa. The study area consisted of 12 water quality monitoring points; V1, S1, B1, S4, K9, T1, R2, L1, V7, V9, V12, and V17. These points are part of a Water Board’s extensive catchment monitoring network but were re-labelled for this paper. The harmonised guideline was made up of 5 classes for NH4+, Cl-, EC, DO, pH, F-, NO3-, PO43- and SO42- against in-stream water quality objectives for ideal catchment background limits. Ideal catchment background values for Vaal Dam sub-catchment represented Class 1 (best quality water), while those for Vaal Barrage, Blesbok/Suikerbosrand Rivers and Klip River represented Classes 2, 3 and 4, respectively. Values above those of Klip River ideal catchment background represented Class 5. For each monitoring point, secondary raw data for the 9 parameters were cubic-interpolated to 2 526 days from 1 January 2003 to 30 November 2009 (7 years). The IF-THEN-ELSE function then sub-classified the data from 1 to 5 while the daily index was calculated as a median of that day’s sub-classes. Histograms were constructed in order to distribute the indices among the 5 classes of the harmonised guideline. Points V1 and S1 were ranked as best quality water (Class 1), with percentage class frequencies of 91% and 60%, respectively. L1 ranked Class 3 (34%) while V7 (54%), V9 (53%), V12 (66%) and V17 (46%) ranked poorly as Class 4. B1 (76%), S4 (53%), K9 (41%), T1 (53%) and R2 (61%) ranked as worst quality (Class 5). The harmonised in-stream water quality guideline resulted in class frequency distributions. The surface raw water quality index system managed to compare quality variation among the 12 points which were located in different sub-catchments of the study area. These results provided a basis to trade pollution among upstream-downstream users, over a timeframe of 7 years. Models could consequently be developed to reflect, for example, quality-sensitive differential tariffs, among other index uses. The indices could also be incorporated into potable water treatment cost models in order for the costs to reflect raw water quality variability.
Constructed wetlands : a future alternative wastewater treatment technology
(Academic Journals, 2013-07-17) Mthembu, M. S.; Odinga, C. A.; Swalaha, Feroz Mahomed; Bux, Faizal
Wastewater treatment will always pose problems if there are no new alternative technologies in place to replace the currently available technologies. More recently, it has been estimated that developing countries will run out of water by 2050. This is a course for concern not only to the communities but also a challenge to the scientist to find new ways of wastewater recycling. Water losses can be avoided the rough implementation of easy and inexpensive technologies for wastewater treatment. Environmental concerns over insufficiently performing septic systems and high expenses in the construction of sewer systems as well as their operations with centralized water purification systems have spurred investigation into the appropriateness of the use of wetland technology for wastewater treatment. Constructed wetland efficiency and potential application in wastewater treatment has been reported decades ago. However, the logistics and research for their commercial applications in wastewater treatment has not been documented in details. Research has shown that wetland systems can achieve high treatment efficiencies with regards to both organic and inorganic nutrients as well as pathogen removal if properly managed and efficiently utilized. This can have a profound effect in the management and conservation of our scarce and yet depleting water resources.
Continuous biohydrogen production from starch wastewater via sequential dark-photo fermentation with emphasize on maghemite nanoparticles
(Elsevier, 2015) Nasr, Mahmoud; Tawfik, Ahmed; Ookawara, Shinichi; Suzuki, Masaaki; Kumari, Sheena K.; Bux, Faizal
Hydrogen production from starch wastewater via sequential dark-photo fermentation process was investigated. Two anaerobic baffled reactors (ABRs) were operated in parallel at an OLR of 8.11 ± 0.97 g-COD/L/d, and a HRT of 15 h. ABR-1 and ABR-2 was inoculated with pre-treated sludge and sludge immobilized on maghemite nanoparticles, respectively. Better hydrogen yield of 104.75 ± 12.39 mL-H2/g-COD-removed was achieved in ABR-2 as compared to 66.22 ± 4.88 mL-H2/g-COD-removed in ABR-1. The effluent of ABR-2 was used for further hydrogen production by photo fermentation in ABR-3. An overall hydrogen yield of 166.83 ± 27.79 mL-H2/g-COD-removed was achieved at a total HRT of 30 h. 16S rRNA phylogeny showed that Clostridium and Rhodopseudomonas palustris species were dominant in ABR-1, ABR-2 and ABR-3, respectively.
Contribution of wastewater irrigation to Soil Transmitted Helminths infection among vegetable farmers in Kumasi, Ghana
(National Centre for Biotechnology Information, 2016-12-06) Amoah, Isaac Dennis; Abubakari, Amina; Stenstrom, Thor Axel; Abaidoo, Robert Clement; Seidu, Razak
Wastewater irrigation is associated with several benefits but can also lead to significant health risks. The health risk for contracting infections from Soil Transmitted Helminths (STHs) among farmers has mainly been assessed indirectly through measured quantities in the wastewater or on the crops alone and only on a limited scale through epidemiological assessments. In this study we broadened the concept of infection risks in the exposure assessments by measurements of the concentration of STHs both in wastewater used for irrigation and the soil, as well as the actual load of STHs ova in the stool of farmers and their family members (165 and 127 in the wet and dry seasons respectively) and a control group of non-farmers (100 and 52 in the wet and dry seasons, respectively). Odds ratios were cal-culated for exposure and non-exposure to wastewater irrigation. The results obtained indi-cate positive correlation between STH concentrations in irrigation water/soil and STHs ova as measured in the stool of the exposed farmer population. The correlations are based on reinfection during a 3 months period after prior confirmed deworming. Farmers and family members exposed to irrigation water were three times more likely as compared to the con-trol group of non-farmers to be infected with Ascaris (OR = 3.9, 95% CI, 1.15–13.86) and hookworm (OR = 3.07, 95% CI, 0.87–10.82). This study therefore contributes to the evi-dence-based conclusion that wastewater irrigation contributes to a higher incidence of STHs infection for farmers exposed annually, with higher odds of infection in the wet season.
Cultivation of Chlorella pyrenoidosa in outdoor open raceway pond using domestic wastewater as medium in arid desert region
(Elsevier, 2016) Dahmani, Siham; Zerrouki, Djamal; Ramanna, Luveshan; Rawat, Ismail; Bux, Faizal
Chlorella pyrenoidosa was cultivated in secondary wastewater efﬂuent to assess its nutrient removal capa-bilities. Wastewaters were obtained from a wastewater treatment plant located in Ouargla, Algeria. The experiments were conducted in winter under natural sunlight in an outdoor open raceway pond situated in the desert area. The highest biomass of the microalgae was found to be 1.71 ± 0.04 g/L. Temperatures ranged between 18 and 31 C. The average annual insolation was no less than 3500 h with an annual solar irradiance of more than 2000 kWh/m2. Analyses of different parameters including COD, NH4-N and TP were conducted throughout the cultivation period. Their average removal efﬁciencies were 78%, 95%and 81% respectively. The results demonstrated the potential of nutrient removal by microalgae grown on secondary wastewater in arid areas.
Dual role of Chlorella sorokiniana and Scenedesmus obliquus for comprehensive wastewater treatment and biomass production for bio-fuels
(Elsevier, 2016) Gupta, Sanjay Kumar; Ansari, Faiz Ahmad; Shriwastav, Amritanshu; Sahoo, Narendra Kumar; Rawat, Ismail; Bux, Faizal
Microalgal treatment of raw sewage presents many complexities, mainly resulting from the inability of the algal species to sustain increased physiological stresses due to variable nutrient levels and high concentrations of organics. Chlorella sorokiniana and Scenedesmus obliquus have been identiﬁed to tolerate higher amounts of organic loading and physiological stresses. Nutrient removal, pathogen removal, and lipid accumulation with secondary or tertiary efﬂuents have been demonstrated inde-pendently for these organisms. However, their potentials for accomplishing these objectives simulta-neously with raw sewage have not been investigated. This study presents comprehensive investigations of applicability of C. sorokiniana and S. obliquus to wastewater treatment without the requirement for any additional treatment. S. obliquus showed greater potential for removing organic carbon (76.13 ± 1.59%COD removal), nutrients (98.54 ± 3.30% N-removal, 97.99 ± 3.59% P-removal) and comparable pathogens removal (99.93 ± 0.12% total coliforms removal, 100% faecal coliform removal) in comparison to C. sorokiniana (69.38 ± 1.81% COD removal, 86.93 ± 3.49% N-removal, 68.24 ± 11.69% P-removal, 99.78 ± 0.12% total coliforms removal, 100% faecal coliform removal) with 15 days of cultivation with ﬁltered raw sewage, but also encountered increased levels of stress (Fv/Fm of 0.48 ± 0.03) which accounted for increased lipid accumulation in the cells (23.26 ± 3.95% w/w) but might also affect their biomass productivity and treatment potential in longer applications. In comparison, C. sorokiniana demonstrated better adaptability to physiological stresses (Fv/Fm of 0.53 ± 0.01) and may be suitable for achieving comprehensive treatment and sufﬁcient lipid accumulation (22.74 ± 3.11% w/w) without compromising these potentials during prolonged applications. These results highlight the importance of selecting algal species with better stress resistance to extend their applicability for comprehensive wastewater treatment and lipid production.
Ecosystem-specific water quality indices
(NISC (Pty) Ltd and Taylor & Francis, 2015) Rangeti, Innocent; Dzwairo, Bloodless; Barratt, Graham James; Otieno, Fredrick Alfred O.
The water quality index (WQI) has emerged as a central tool for analysing and reporting quality trends since 1965. It provides a better overview of water quality variability in a catchment than conventional monitoring programmes that use individual variables. Since water quality is not static, due to point and non-point pollution sources, water managers require tools that are easily adaptable to changing trends. For aquatic environments, different WQIs have been developed to classify specific areas and to determine the fitness of various water resources for specific uses such as drinking. The development of indices poses the challenge of standardising methods for selecting input variables, data transformation and aggregation. Inappropriate input variables may lead to a wrong evaluation of the overall water quality status, possibly resulting in the use of polluted water. This paper reviews methods and aspects to consider when developing ecosystem-specific WQIs – their strengths, limitations and the suitability of the methodologies. These could be applied when developing a water quality index for the uMngeni Basin, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where ecosystem-specific modelling is being done to enhance basin management.
Effect of thermal pre-treatment on inoculum sludge to enhance bio-hydrogen production from alkali hydrolysed rice straw in a mesophilic anaerobic baffled reactor.
(Taylor & Francis, 2013) Bux, Faizal; Kumari, Sheena K.; Tawfik, Ahmed; El-berry, Haitham
The effect of thermal pre-treatment on inoculum sludge for continuous H2 production from alkali hydrolysed rice straw using anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) was investigated. Two reactors, ABR1 and ABR2, were inoculated with untreated and thermally pre-treated sludge, respectively. Both reactors were operated in parallel at a constant hydraulic retention time of 20 h and organic loading rate ranged from 0.5 to 2.16 g COD/L d. The results obtained indicated that ABR2 achieved a better hydrogen conversion rate and hydrogen yield as compared with ABR1. The hydrogen conversion rates were 30% and 24%, while the hydrogen yields were 1.19 and 0.97 mol H2/mol glucose for ABR2 and ABR1, respectively. Similar trend was observed for chemical oxygen demand (COD) and carbohydrate removal, where ABR2 provided a removal efficiency of 53±2.3% for COD and 46±2% for carbohydrate. The microbial community analysis using 16S rRNA phylogeny revealed the presence of different species of bacteria, namely Clostridium, Prevotella, Paludibacter, Ensifer, and Petrimonas within the reactors. Volatile fatty acids generated from ABR1 and ABR2 were mainly in the form of acetate and butyrate and a relatively low fraction of propionate was detected in ABR1. Based on these results, thermal pre-treatment of inoculum sludge is preferable for hydrogen production from hydrolysed rice straw.
Evaluation of phytotoxicity effect on selected crops using treated and untreated wastewater from different configurative domestic wastewater plants
(Taylor and francis Online, 2016) Ravindran, B.; Kumari, Sheena K.; Stenström, Thor-Axel; Bux, Faizal
This study investigated the phytotoxicity effect of untreated and treated wastewater collected from two different configurations of domestic wastewater treatment plants in South Africa. The phytotoxicity effect on vegetable seed growth was studied in terms of germination index (GI), relative seed germination (RSG) and relative root elongation (RRE) using four commercial crop varieties, viz., tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), radish (Raphanus sativus), carrot (Daucus carota) and onion (Allium cepa). According to phyototoxicity limits, 80% germination and above is regarded as non-toxic and less than 50% GI is regarded as highly toxic and not suitable for agricultural purposes. In our study, seeds were irrigated with concentrations of 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% of treated effluent (TE) and untreated effluent (UTE). The TE results were best with the highest GI (%) recorded as tomato, 177; carrot, 158.5; onion, 132; and lettuce, 124. The results of this study indicate that TE showed no phytotoxicty effects and recorded above 80% GI. The UTE irrigated crops reached a GI of only 50% and above which is clear evidence of the beneficial effect of waste water treatment. The overall results confirmed that treated wastewater has a beneficial effect on agricultural crops and can be used as a liquid fertilizer.
Mechanistic insight into SO4•−/•OH radical for enhancing stability and activity of LaMO3 perovskite toward detoxification of bulk pharmaceutical wastewater: Stoichiometric efficiency and controlled leaching study
(Elsevier BV, 2023-08) Kumar, Arvind; Prasad, Basheswar; Kumari, Sheena; Bux, Faizal
This study aims to investigate the detoxification of real pharmaceutical manufacturing wastewater by PMS activated with perovskite LaMO3 (M = Cu, Co, Fe), synthesized by citric sol–gel method. The textural properties of synthesized perovskite were monitored by BET, FESEM/EDS, TEM, XRD, FTIR, and XPS techniques. The effects of key parameters (PMS dose, catalyst, pH and reaction temperature) on ofloxacin degradation along with PMS utilization efficiency as well as PMS consumption were evaluated in detail. Catalyst LaCoO3 exhibited the excellent catalytic activity and stability towards the degradation of ofloxacin (97.11 %) and COD (79.41 %) at optimum operating conditions. Removal of ofloxacin and COD were suppressed by 7 % and 9 % over the fourth cycle, along with minor leaching of Co were observed. Quenching experiments and EPR results demonstrated that both ROS species (SO4•− and •OH) were dominant species for ofloxacin degradation in LaCoO3/PMS system. The treatment cost for ofloxacin degradation in LaCoO3/PMS system was estimated to be 40.78$/m3 of real pharmaceutical wastewater. Six plausible degradation pathways of ofloxacin were proposed based on intermediate compounds identified by GC-MS and reported literature.
The optimization of biomass and lipid yields of Chlorella sorokiniana when using wastewater supplemented with different nitrogen sources.
(Pubmed, 2014-09) Ramanna, Luveshan; Guldhe, Abhishek; Rawat, Ismail; Bux, Faizal
The potential of nitrogen sources supplementing domestic wastewater for the cultivation of microalgae was assessed. Urea, potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate and ammonium nitrate were evaluated for their effect on cultivation and lipid production of Chlorella sorokiniana. Urea showed the highest biomass yield of 0.220 g L−1 and was selected for further experimentation. Urea concentrations (0–10 g L−1) were assessed for their effect on growth and microalgal physiology using pulse amplitude modulated fluorometry. A concentration of 1.5 g L−1 urea produced 0.218 g L−1 biomass and 61.52% lipid by relative fluorescence. Physiological stress was evident by the decrease in relative Electron Transport Rate from 10.45 to 6.77 and quantum efficiency of photosystem II charge separation from 0.665 to 0.131. Gas chromatography analysis revealed that C16:0, C18:0, C18:1, C18:2 and C18:3 were the major fatty acids produced by C. sorokiniana. Urea proved to be an effective nitrogen supplement for cultivation of C. sorokiniana in wastewater.
Pathways of 3-biofules (hydrogen, ethanol and methane) production from petrochemical industry wastewater via anaerobic packed bed bafﬂed reactor inoculated with mixed culture bacteria
(Elsevier, 2016) Elreedy, Ahmed; Tawfik, Ahmed; Enitan, Abimbola Motunrayo; Kumari, Sheena K.; Bux, Faizal
Simultaneous production of 3-biofuels (hydrogen, ethanol and methane) as by-products of the biodegra-dation of petrochemical wastewater containing MEG via anaerobic packed bed bafﬂed reactor (AnPBBR), was extensively investigated. A four-chambered reactor supported by polyurethane sheets, was operated at a constant hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 36 h and different organic loading rates (OLRs) of 0.67, 1, 2 and 4 gCOD/L/d. The maximum speciﬁc H2 and CH4 production rates of 438.07 ± 43.02 and 237.80 ± 21.67 ml/L/d were respectively achieved at OLR of 4 gCOD/L/d. The residual bio-ethanol signif-icantly increased from 57.15 ± 2.31 to 240.19 ± 34.69 mg/L at increasing the OLR from 0.67 to 4 gCOD/L/d, respectively. The maximum MEG biodegradability of 98% was attained at the lowest OLR. Compartment-wise proﬁles revealed that the maximum H2 and ethanol production were achieved at HRT of 9 h (1st compartment), while the CH4 production was peaked at HRTs of 27 and 36 h (last two compartments). Kinetic studies using Stover–Kincannon and completely stirred tank reactor (CSTR) in series models were successfully applied to the AnPBBR overall and compartment-to-compartment performance, respectively. The economic evaluation strongly revealed the potentials of using AnPBBR for simultaneous treatment and bio-energy production from petrochemical wastewater as compared to the classical anaerobic bafﬂed reactor (ABR). Microbial analysis using Illumina MiSeq sequencing showed a diversity of bacterial com-munity in AnPBBR. Proteobacteria (36.62%), Firmicutes (20.85%) and Bacteroidetes (3.44%) were the most dominant phyla.
Phenol degrading ability of Rhodococcus pyrinidivorans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from activated sludge plants in South Africa
(Taylor and Francis, 2013-03-13) Kumari, Sheena K.; Bux, Faizal; Chetty, Dereshen; Ramdhani, Nishani
Phenol, a common constituent in many industrial wastewaters is a major pollutant and has several adverse effects on the environment. The potential of various microorganisms to utilize phenol for their metabolic activity has been observed to be an effective means of remediating this toxic compound from the environment particularly wastewater. Five indigenous bacterial isolates (PD1-PD5) were obtained from phenol bearing industrial wastewater using the mineral salts medium. The isolates were further characterized based on their morphology, biochemical reactions and 16S rRNA phylogeny. The 16S rRNA sequence analysis using universal primers (27f/1492r) revealed that PD1, PD2, PD3 and PD4 were closely related to the actinomycete Rhodococcus pyrinidivorans (99%) and PD5 to Pseudomonas aeruginosa (99%). Growth kinetic patterns and phenol degradation abilities of the two representative isolates (PD1 and PD5) were also evaluated. Both the species were effective in utilizing phenol as the sole carbon source and could tolerate phenol concentrations of up to 500 to 600 mg/L. The ability of these isolates to utilize higher concentrations of phenol as their sole carbon source makes them potential candidates and better competitors in the bioremediation process.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates production from fermented paperboard mill wastewater using acetate-enriched bacteria
(Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 2017) Farghaly, Ahmed Mustafa; Enitan, Abimbola Motunrayo; Kumari, Sheena K.; Bux, Faizal; Tawfik, Ahmed
The aim of the study was to investigate the use of dark fermented paperboard mill wastewater (PMW) containing volatile fatty acids for polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production. Six sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were initially fed with synthetic feed containing acetate and operated at different organic loading rates (OLRs) of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 gCOD l-1 day-1 for PHA-storing bacteria enrichment. The maximum PHA content and yield (YPHA/S) were 67.44 ± 5.88 % and 0.45 ± 0.39 C-mol C-mol-1 at OLR of 1.5 gCOD l-1 day-1, respectively. The synthetic feed was replaced by dark fermented PMW efﬂuent rich in acetate, butyrate, propionate, and lactate at the accumulation stage resulting in a PHA content and yield of 58.57 ± 4.02 % and 0.46 ± 0.09 C-mol C-mol-1, respectively. The maximum speciﬁc PHA production rate max ) amounted to 0.29 ± 0.1 C-mol C-mol-1 X-1 h-1.(qPHA Illumina MiSeq sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA gene showed that Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes increased from 37.4 to 77.6 % and from 2.49 to 17.66 % at enrich-ment and accumulation stages, respectively. Actinobacteria (15.44 %), Chloroﬂexi (8.15 %), Planctomycetes (7.46 %), and Acidobacteria (6.0 %) were detected at the enrichment SBRs.
A probabilistic assessment of the contribution of wastewater-irrigated lettuce to Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection risk and disease burden in Kumasi, Ghana
(IWA Publishing, 2015-03) Seidu, Razak; Abubakari, Amina; Amoah, Isaac Dennis; Heistad, Arve; Stenström, Thor-Axel; Larbi, John A.; Abaidoo, Robert Clement
Wastewater use for vegetable production is widespread across the cities of many developing countries. Studies on the microbial health risks associated with the practice have largely depended on faecal indicator organisms with potential underestimation or overestimation of the microbial health risks and disease burdens. This study assessed the Escherichia coli O157:H7 infection risk and diarrhoeal disease burden measured in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) associated with the consumption of wastewater-irrigated lettuce in Kumasi, Ghana using data on E. coli O157:H7 in ready-to-harvest, wastewater-irrigated lettuce. Two exposure scenarios – best case and worst case – associated with a single consumption of wastewater-irrigated lettuce were assessed. The assessment revealed wastewater-irrigated lettuce is contributing to the transmission of E. coli O157:H7 in Kumasi, Ghana. The mean E. coli O157:H7 infection risk and DALYs in the wet and dry seasons, irrespective of the exposure scenario, were above the World Health Organization tolerable daily infection risk of 2.7 × 10−7 per person per day and 10−6 DALYs per person per year. It is recommended that legislation with clear monitoring indicators and penalties is implemented to ensure that farmers and food sellers fully implement risk mitigating measures.