Browsing by Author "Novak, John T."

Now showing 1 - 20 of 258
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    Acid-phase and Two-phase Codigestion of FOG in Municipal Wastewater
    Varin, Ross A. III (Virginia Tech, 2013-06-11)
    Acidogenic codigestion of fats, oils, and greases (FOG) was studied at 37"C using suspended sludge digesters operated as sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). Volatile fatty acid (VFA) production was found to increase with larger FOG loading rates, although this increase was insignificant compared the theoretical VFA production from FOG addition. Long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) were found to have accumulated in the reactor vessel in semi-solid balls that were primarily composed of saturated LCFAs. Adding high FOG loadings to an APD not acclimated to LCFAs allowed for a mass balance calculation and resulted in near complete saturation of unsaturated LCFAs and significant accumulation of LCFA material in the digester, which was found to be mostly 16:0, 18:0, and 18:1. While 18:2 and 18:3 LCFAs were nearly completely removed, 18:0 and 14:0 LCFAs were produced, most likely from the degradation of 18:2 and 18:3 LCFAs. The APD pH was found to have a significant impact on the amount of accumulated LCFA material present, with higher pH levels resulting in less accumulated material. Two-phase codigestion of FOG was also studied using an APD followed by gas-phase (GPD) digesters. The two-phase systems were compared by FOG addition to the APD versus GPD. FOG addition to the APD resulted in 88% destruction of LCFAs, whereas FOG addition to the GPD resulted in 95% destruction of LCFAs. Accumulated LCFAs in the APD receiving FOG were composed mostly of stearic acid (18:0). The low pH of the APD is likely the cause of LCFA accumulation due to saturation of unsaturated LCFAs.
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    Advanced Technologies for Resource Recovery and Contaminants Removal from Landfill Leachate
    Iskander, Syeed Md (Virginia Tech, 2019-04-25)
    Landfill leachate contains valuable, recoverable organics, water, and nutrients. This project investigated leachate treatment and resource recovery from landfill leachates by innovative methods such as forward osmosis (FO), bioelectrochemical systems (BES), and advanced oxidation. In this study, a microbial fuel cell (MFC) removed 50-75% of the ammonia from a leachate through the electricity driven movement of ammonium to the cathode chamber followed by air stripping at high pH (> 9). During this process, the MFC system removed 53-64% of the COD, producing a net energy of 0.123 kWh m-3. Similarly, an integrated microbial desalination cell (MDC) in an FO system recovered 11-64% of the ammonia from a leachate; this was affected by current generation and hydraulic retention time in the desalination chamber. The MDC-FO system recovered 51.5% of the water from a raw leachate. This increased to 83.5% when the FO concentrate was desalinated in the MDC and then recirculated through the FO unit. In addition, the project investigated humic acid (HA) recovery from leachate during the synergistic incorporation of FO, HA recovery, and Fenton's oxidation to enhance leachate treatment and to reduce Fenton's reagent requirements. This led to the investigation of harmful disinfection byproducts (DBPs) formation during Fenton's oxidation of landfill leachate. The removal of leachate UV-quenching substances (humic, fulvic, and hydrophilic acids) using an MFC and a chemical oxidant (i.e., sodium percarbonate) with a focus on energy production and cost efficiency were also studied. BES treatment can reduce leachate organics concentrations; lower UV absorbance; recover ammonia; and, in combination with FO, recover water. Although BES is promising, significant work is needed before its use in landfill leachate becomes practical. FO application to leachate treatment must consider the choice of an appropriate draw solute, which should require minimal effort for regeneration. Resources like HA in leachate deserve more attention. Further efforts can focus on purification and application of the recovered products. The emerging issue of DBP formation in leachate treatment also requires attention due to the potential environmental and human health effects. The broader impact of this study is the societal benefit from more sustainable and cost-efficient leachate treatment.
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    Advancing the Understanding of Water Distribution System Corrosion: Effects of Chlorine and Aluminum on Copper Pitting, Temperature Gradients on Copper Corrosion, and Silica on Iron Release
    Rushing, Jason Clark (Virginia Tech, 2002-07-24)
    When severe copper pitting problems impacted customers at a large utility, studies were begun to attempt to diagnose the problem and identify potential solutions. A series of tests were conducted to characterize the nature of pitting. Desktop comparisons of pinhole leak frequency and treatment practices at nearly utilities were also documented to identify treatment factors that might be influencing the initiation and propagation of leaks. Factors identified included the presence of relatively high levels of free chlorine and aluminum in the distribution system. Experiments were conducted to examine the effect of these constituents on copper pitting under stagnant and flow conditions. That led to discovery of a synergistic redox reaction between chlorine, aluminum solids, and copper metal as evidenced by increased chlorine decay rates, non-uniform corrosion, and rising corrosion potentials. Temperature changes had been suspected to increase copper pitting frequency and copper release to drinking water. Experiments examined the effect of temperature gradients on copper pipe corrosion during stagnant conditions. The pipe orientation in relation to the temperature gradient determined whether convective mixing would occur, which influenced temperature gradients within the pipe. This work is the first to demonstrate that temperature gradients lead to thermogalvanic currents, influences copper leaching and scale type. Iron release from corroding water mains is another concern of many water utilities, but little is known about chemistry factors that influence the problem. In laboratory experiments, higher levels of silica caused more iron release to the water and decreased the size of suspended iron particles. Silica levels also changed during the experiment: it decreased through incorporation into a dense scale, and increased by release from cast iron during corrosion. Silica slightly decreased iron corrosion rates near the end of this 6-month test.
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    Aerobic Biodegradation of MTBE in Uncontaminated and Gasoline-Contaminated Aquifer Sediments
    Zoeckler, Jeff Radcliffe (Virginia Tech, 1999-07-12)
    In this study, the biodegradation potential of MTBE in uncontaminated and previously contaminated aquifer sediments under aerobic conditions was investigated. Laboratory microcosms were constructed using aquifer samples collected from three different areas of a shallow gasoline-contaminated aquifer in eastern Fairfax Co., Va in the Atlantic Coastal Plain province. Uncontaminated aquifer samples were collected upgradient of the plume, and contaminated aquifer samples were collected in the source area and in an area downgradient of the source. Biodegradation of MTBE was observed in microcosms that contained previously contaminated aquifer sediments. More complete degradation was observed in aquifer sediments containing a low level of petroleum contamination than in heavily contaminated aquifer sediments. Biodegradation of MTBE appeared to be limited by a lack of oxygen in heavily contaminated soils. When degradation was discernible it appeared to follow a first order pattern with a rate constant (l) of between 0.037 and 0.066 d-1, following a lag period of 20 to 40 days. In microcosms containing lightly contaminated aquifer material, MTBE was respiked during active metabolism, and degradation occurred with no lag or acclimation period. Results indicated that little or no degradation occurred in the microcosms containing uncontaminated soil. The results of this research suggest that the availability and level of petroleum hydrocarbon compounds influence indigenous microorganisms capable of degrading MTBE.
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    Alternative Waste Treatment System for Poultry Processing Plants
    Roshdieh, Rana (Virginia Tech, 2010-08-04)
    The objective of this research was to design an alternative wastewater treatment system for turkey processing plants to recover energy and reduce N and P to allowable discharge levels. The objective included: 1. Determine the quantity and quality of biogas produced from the turkey processing wastewater (TPW) and COD reduction efficiency. 2. Design a waste treatment system and validate proof of concept for simultaneous P and N removal with a goal of attaining effluent concentrations of 0.1 mg/L and 4 mg/L, for P and N, respectively. A lab-scale complete mixed anaerobic digester was used for turkey processing wastewater (TPW) digestion and biogas recovery running for 6 months. Along with the anaerobic digester, a two-sludge system called A2N-SBR consisting of an anaerobic-anoxic sequencing batch reactor and an attached growth post-nitrification reactor was added for biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal running for 3 months. Biogas production yields of 778 + 89 mL/gVSadded and 951.30 mL/g COD were obtained through anaerobic digestion. Also, an energy balance was conducted on a pilot scale digester for a turkey processing plant with wastewater production of 2160 m3/d and using a combined heat and power (CHP) enginefor conversion of biogas to heat and electricity. Although the biogas yield achieved in a complete mixed reactor was relatively lower than yields obtained in previous studies using reactors such as UASB, still a complete mixed reactor can be a good choice for biogas recovery from TPW and can be used for codigestion with some specific turkey processing byproducts for biogas recovery. Nitrogen and phosphorus removal in the A2N-SBR system were 47% and 75%, respectively, and during the study the nitrogen and phosphorus removal mean concentration in effluent did not meet the nutrient limits specified in the objectives. Average TP and TN in the effluent were 3.2 mg/L and 137 mg/L, respectively. Throughout the study, the nitrification reactor biofilm was not completely developed. Incomplete nitrification and poor settling might be the reasons that quality obtained in effluent was low. To improve the process condition in A2N-SBR, online monitoring of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and oxidation reduction potential (ORP) can help to optimize each stage in the SBR and stages duration can be set based on the results.
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    Anaerobic / Aerobic Digestion for Enhanced Solids and Nitrogen Removal
    Banjade, Sarita (Virginia Tech, 2008-12-04)
    Anaerobic digestion of wastewater sludge has widely been in application for stabilization of sludge. With the increase in hauling cost and many environmental and health concerns regarding land application of biosolids, digestion processes generating minimized sludge with better effluent characteristics is becoming important for many public and wastewater utilities. This study was designed to investigate the performance of anaerobic-aerobic-anaerobic digestion of sludge and compare it to anaerobic-aerobic digestion and single stage mesophilic digestion of sludge. Experiments were carried out in three stages: Single-stage mesophilic anaerobic digestion (MAD) 20d SRT; Sequential Anaerobic/Aerobic digestion (Ana/Aer); and Anaerobic/Aerobic/Anaerobic digestion (An/Aer/An). The Anaerobic/Aerobic/Anaerobic digestion of sludge was studied with two options to determine the best option in terms of effluent characteristics. The two sludge withdrawal options were to withdraw effluent from the anaerobic digester (An/Aer/An – A) or withdraw effluent from the aerobic digester (An/Aer/An – B). Different operational parameters, such as COD removal, VS destruction, biogas production, Nitrogen removal, odor removal and dewatering properties of the resulting biosolids were studied and the results were compared among different processes. From the study, it was found that An/Aer/An – B (wastage from aerobic reactor) provided better effluent characteristics than An/Aer/An – A (wastage from anaerobic reactor), Ana/Aer or conventional MAD. The study also shows that the Anaerobic/Aerobic/Anaerobic (An/Aer/An, with wastage from the aerobic or anaerobic digester) digestion of the sludge can improve the biosolids quality by improving the dewatering capabilities, with lower optimum polymer dose, reduced CST and increased cake solid concentration, and reduce the odor generation from the biosolids. Both An/Aer/Ana – A and An/Aer/An – B gave 70% VS removal, compared to 50% with single MAD and 62% with only Ana/Aer. COD removal of both An/Aer/An – A and An/Aer/An – B was 70%, while it was 50% and 66% for single MAD and Ana/Aer respectively. In the aerobic reactors of Ana/Aer and An/Aer/An - B, nitrification and denitrification with removal of nitrogen was observed. The An/Aer/An – B system had more ammonia and TKN removal (70%) than Ana/Aer (64%). The effluent from each stage was analyzed for dewatering ability, cake solid concentration and odor production potential. Compared with a single Ana/Aer system, the extra anaerobic step in An/Aer/An – A and – B reduced polysaccharides in the effluent. The Ana/Aer system released less protein than the conventional MAD system and the addition of the second anaerobic step - especially with system An/Aer/An – B (discharge from aerobic reactor) - greatly reduced protein, resulting in improved dewaterability and less polymer demand. An/Aer/An (both of the options: A and B) had lower CST than single MAD (both 15d and 20d SRT) and Ana/Aer. Compared to Ana/Aer, a reduction of 52% for An/Aer/An – A and 20% for An/Aer/An – B in polymer dose requirement was observed, indicating improved dewatering characteristics. The An/Aer/An – B has higher biosolid cake concentration than MAD or Ana/Aer. The results showed that An/Aer/An (both options: A and B) biosolid had lower odor generation potential than single MAD (15d and 20d SRT) or Ana/Aer. Of all the stages,the An/Aer/An – A and – B system, generated odor which peaked at shorter time and lasted for shorter duration of time.
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    Anaerobic and Combined Anaerobic/Aerobic Digestion of Thermally Hydrolyzed Sludge
    Tanneru, Charan Tej (Virginia Tech, 2009-11-12)
    Sludge digestion has gained importance in recent year because of increasing interest in energy recovery and public concern over the safety of land applied biosolids. Many new alternatives are being researched for reducing excess sludge production and for more energy production. With an increase in solids destruction, the nutrients that are contained in sludge especially nitrogen, are released to solution and can be recycled as part of filtrate or centrate stream. Nitrogen has gained importance because it has adverse effects on ecosystem's as well as human health. NH₄⁺, NO₂⁻, NO₃⁻-, and organic nitrogen are the different forms of nitrogen found in wastewater. While ammonia is toxic to aquatic life, any form of nitrogen can be utilized by cyanobacteria and result in eutrophication. NO₂/NO₃, if consumed by infants through water, can affect the oxygen uptake capability. Hence, removal of nitrogen from wastewater stream before discharging is important. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of the Cambi process, a thermophylic hydrolysis process used as a pre-treatment step prior to anaerobic digestion. Thermal hydrolysis, as a pre-treatment to anaerobic digestion increases the biological degradation of organic volatile solids and biogas production. The thermal hydrolysis process destroys pathogens and hydrolysis makes the sludge readily available for digestion, while at the same time facilitating a higher degree of separation of solid and liquid phases after digestion. Experiments were conducted in three phases for anaerobic digestion using the Cambi process as pre-treatment. The phases of study includes comparison of two temperatures for thermal hydrolysis (Cambi 150°C and Cambi 170°C), comparison of two solid retention times in anaerobic digestion (15 Day and 20 Day) and comparison of two mesophilic temperatures in anaerobic digestion (37°C and 42°C). Different experimental analyses were conducted for each phase, such as pH, bio-gas production, COD removal, VS destruction, nitrogen removal, odor and dewatering characteristics and the results are compared among all the phases. The second part of the study deals with aerobic digestion of anaerobically digested sludge for effective nitrogen removal and additional VS destruction, COD removal. An aerobic digester is operated downstream to anaerobic digester and is operated with aerobic/anoxic phase for nitrification and de-nitrification. The aerobic/anoxic phases are operated in time cycles which included 40minutes/20minutes, 20minutes/20minutes, full aeration, 10minutes/30minutes, and 12minutes/12minutes. Different time cycles are experimented and aerobic digester is optimized for effective nitrogen removal. 12minutes aerobic and 12minutes anoxic phase gave better nitrogen removal compared to all the cycles. Over all the aerobic digester gave about 92% ammonia removal, 70% VS destruction and 70% COD removal. The oxygen uptake rates (OUR's) in the aerobic digester are measured corresponding to maximum nitrogen removal. The OUR's are found to be close to 60 mg/L during maximum nitrogen removal. The effluent from both anaerobic digester and aerobic digester was collected and analyzed for dewatering capability, cake solids concentration and odor potential.
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    Anaerobic biodegradation of selected organic compounds with and without inhibition of sulfate reducing bacteria
    McBrayer, Tinker R. (Virginia Tech, 1989-02-05)
    The primary objective of this study was to investigate the use of hydrogen as a structural substitute or as a reducing equivalent in the anaerobic biodegradation of methanol, methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), toluene, phenol, and 2,4- dichlorophenol. In addition, biodegradation rates of these compounds at various initial concentrations with and without inhibition of sulfate reducing bacteria were determined along with anaerobic biodegradation rate constants for each of the compounds studied. Rates of methanol biodegradation were only slightly altered in molybdate amended microcosms indicating that methanol is a noncompetitive substrate in Blacksburg soil. MTBE biodegradation was slow and followed first order kinetics with respect to initial concentration. Molybdate had no affect on MTBE biodegradation alone, but increased the biodegradation rate in MTBE microcosms which were amended with ethanol. Toluene, phenol, and 2,4-dichlorophenol biodegradation proceeded at two different rate versus initial concentration relationships for lower and upper concentration ranges. Phenol biodegradation followed first order kinetics. The 2,4-dichlorophenol biodegradation rate order varied from 0.78 to 1.75. Monod kinetics were followed by methanol, toluene, and phenol, but not by MTBE, ethanol amended MTBE, or 2,4-dichlorophenol. Addition of molybdate to inhibit sulfate reduction increased the degradation rates more for compounds which may require hydrogen in a structural position (2,4-dichlorophenol, MTBE) than those which require hydrogen for proton reduction (methanol). Biodegradation or recalcitrant compounds may be stimulated by the addition of organics (such as ethanol) which produce hydrogen upon biodegradation.
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    Anaerobic Co-Digestion of High Strength Food Waste with Municipal Sewage Sludge: An assessment of Digester Performance and gas production
    Pathak, Ankit Bidhan (Virginia Tech, 2014-06-06)
    Anaerobic digestion is perhaps the simplest and most widely accepted method for solids and residuals management in the field of wastewater treatment. An emerging trend with regard to anaerobic digestion is the addition of additional organic or industrial wastes rich in degradable material (COD) that can lead to increased methane production and reduce the energy demand of the facility. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of adding significant quantities (>20% of feed volume) of High Strength Food Wastes (HSW) to digesters treating conventional municipal sludge by monitoring key parameters such as pH, influent and effluent solids, ammonia, Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs) and alkalinity. Daily gas production was also closely monitored. Four digesters were set up and exposed to different food waste loading rates. A comparison was drawn between the performance of these reactors, one of which was fed only with sewage sludge and served as the control. If the bacteria in the system are able to metabolize this additional COD, it should show up as an increase in gas production with little or no increase in effluent COD. Ammonia is another crucial parameter that needs to be closely watched as it can have an inhibitory effect on methane production. As part of this study, the impact of addition of free ammonium (simulating high ammonium concentration in the feed sludge or food waste) on digester performance was assessed. The digesters were closely monitored for signs of poor performance or failure.
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    Anaerobic Digestion: Factors Effecting Odor Generation
    Verma, Nitin (Virginia Tech, 2005-07-19)
    Land application of anaerobically stabilized biosolids is a beneficial method of handling the solid residuals from a wastewater treatment plant. One of the main issues that restrict land application of biosolids is nuisance odors associated with biosolids. Despite its importance, few studies have been done to enhance our knowledge of odor causing processes. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of some factors that have been thought to be linked to odor generation from biosolids. The first part of this study has looked at the role of metals, iron and aluminum in particular, in determining the odor causing processes. The results showed that iron correlated well with headspace organic sulfur odor. In general, as the iron content of sludge increased greater amounts of odorous sulfur gases were produced from dewatered biosolids cakes. Aluminum did not show any relationship with organic sulfur odors. Parameters commonly used for assessing the performance of anaerobic digesters (volatile solids reduction (VSR), residual biological activity (RBA) and effluent volatile fatty acid (VFA) content) also showed no correlation with odors. The second part of the study focused on determining the impact of anaerobic digester solids retention time (SRT) on the odor generation from dewatered biosolids cakes and also on elucidating the nature and impact of the various Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) fractions on odors. The results showed that odors decreased with an increase in the anaerobic digester SRT. VSR and RBA correlated with odors; however, as only one type of sludge was assessed, the conclusions about any relationship may not be universal. The results also showed that sulfur gas generation was a function of EPS material bound to iron, again showing that iron plays an important role in odor generation from dewatered sludge cakes. The third part of the study looked at the effects of advanced digestion processes on odor generation. Digested sludge from acid/gas and temperature phased anaerobic digestion systems were analyzed in the lab. The results show that both acid/gas system and temperature phased digestion had a positive impact on odor generation from dewatered biosolids cake. Comparison of sludge from pancake shaped and egg shaped digesters showed that egg shaped digester was more efficient with regard to odor reduction.
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    Analysis and Prevention of Usable Fiber Loss from a Fine Paper Mill
    Barber, Steven Donald (Virginia Tech, 1998-09-17)
    Reducing losses of usable waste fiber from paper mills conserves valuable resources and has the capacity to produce considerable economic returns to the manufacturer. The purpose of this research effort was to evaluate the potential for the prevention of loss and/or recovery of usable waste fiber from paper machines within a fine paper mill. Further, a preliminary evaluation of fiber loss prevention strategies and fiber recovery technologies was conducted. The paper mill in question experienced losses of usable waste fiber to the sewer in amounts approaching, and sometimes exceeding 40 tons/day. An existing database of usable fiber test results was analyzed to determine patterns of fiber loss. Further testing showed that the most significant fiber losses resulted from centrifugal cleaner cones. These cones, designed to remove foreign material from stock, are one step in a series of mechanical cleaning devices in the stock preparation area of the paper mill. Cleaner cone systems on two of the paper machines were found to contribute most significantly to total fiber loss. Contrary to cleaner cone design, the dirt content of fiber rejects from cones experiencing excessive loss was very low. Cleaner cones on other machines operated normally. These rejects were extremely dirty and quantities of fiber were low. These results indicate poor operating efficiency of two of the cleaner cone systems in question. By adding cones where space is available, system capacity and efficiency will increase, fiber losses will decrease, and the dirt content of rejects will increase. This will result in substantial resource and financial savings to the paper mill. Technologies have been developed to recover usable fiber from paper mill sludge. However, prior to further investigation of the use of such innovations at this paper mill, efforts should focus on the reduction of fiber loss from point sources.
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    Analytical Methods of Testing Solid Waste and Leachate to Determine Landfill Stability and Landfill Biodegradation Enhancement
    Bricker, Garrett Demyan (Virginia Tech, 2009-09-10)
    This was a study undertaken to investigate municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill stability parameters and landfill leachate properties to determine how solid waste and leachate characteristics can be used to describe stability. The primary objective was to determine if leachate properties could be used to determine stability of the overlying refuse. All landfills studied were engineered landfill bioreactors giving insight to how leachate recirculation affects stability. This study investigated the correlation between cellulose, lignin, volatile solids, and biochemical methane production (BMP). These parameters can been used to characterize landfill stability. The BMP tests indicate that a saturated waste can produce methane. Cellulose is an indicator of landfill stability. Wastes high in cellulose content were found to have high BMP. Paper samples studied indicated gas production from high-cellulose paper was higher compared to low-cellulose samples. Lignin has been found to correlate fairly well with BMP. Increasing cellulose to lignin ratios correlate well with increasing BMP levels, further supporting the use of the BMP test to indicate solid waste stability. In the BMP test for leachate, a mixture of the standard growth medium (less 80% distilled water) and 80% v/v leachate incubated for 15 days produced the most consistent BMP results. Leachate cellulose and BMP correlated well. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) also had some correlation to BMP tests. Leachate COD was found to decrease over time in landfill bioreactors. The use of leachate rather than MSW to determine stability would be more efficient.
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    Application of oxygen microbubbles for in situ biodegradation of p-xylene contaminated ground water in a soil column
    Jenkins, Kristen Buch (Virginia Tech, 1992-01-05)
    In situ biodegradation of p-xylene was studied in a 2.75 inch diameter column using oxygen microbubbles to supply the electron acceptor. One objective was to demonstrate that pxylene can be biodegraded in the soil column and to follow the degradation and pressure drops as a function of time. The next objective was to demonstrate the potential for biodegradation of p-xylene in the presence of ferrous iron and to follow bioremediation and anticipated pressure drops as a function of time. Then, an air sparging section was added prior to the biodegradation section to determine if the ferrous iron could be removed in this section. The air sparging section would then be flushed with air and/or water to determine if the ferrous could be removed from the sand matrix and alleviate the expected plugging. The bacteria degraded p-xylene to below detectable limits until the oxygen supply was exhausted. The pressure drops over this time showed a slight increase over the first few days and then a gradual decline, which shows promise for in situ biodegradation as the microorganisms were thought to cause plugging. The next run which studied the simultaneous biodegradation of xylene and ferrous oxidation showed no interference from the ferrous iron. The microorganisms seemed to store the oxygen that they needed before the ferrous could oxidize. The pressure drops showed no general trend, therefore the ferric precipitate did not cause an appreciable amount of plugging as expected. The air sparging section resulted in volatilization of xylene with very little ferrous oxidation. To flush the ferric precipitate from this zone, either a combination of air sparging and backwashing or backwashing at the fluidization velocity was needed to remove the ferric iron.
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    An assessment of household hazardous waste collection
    Scott, Denise Whittington (Virginia Tech, 1987-03-15)
    Many civic groups and local governments are involved in campaigns to safely collect and dispose of "household hazardous waste." Although it is difficult to define, household hazardous waste is generally considered to be any chemical waste generated in a family dwelling which, if disposed of improperly, may be harmful to human health or the environment. Growing concerns are centered around the disposal of these potentially toxic wastes by burying them in landfills or pouring them down drains or storm sewers. The most popular method of addressing the problem of household hazardous waste is that of holding "collection days," at which householders are encouraged to bring their hazardous waste to some central location for proper handling by responsible authorities. Although the availability of information about the total costs of holding these collections days is presently limited, it is apparent that the expense per household served is quite high. Some people have questioned whether the expense is justified, since there has been little documentation of the risks associated with the handling of household hazardous waste in the municipal waste stream. This thesis presents the findings to date of a study examining the quantities of household hazardous waste present in the municipal waste stream (in order to assess the risks associated with their disposal) and the costs associated with collection days. A telephone survey was used to develop a preliminary estimate of the nature and quantity of hazardous waste generated by households in a Virginia city. Cost data from collection days held in Virginia and elsewhere in the United States are documented and discussed.
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    Assessment of Intrinsic Bioremediation at a PCE Contaminated Site
    Rectanus, Heather Veith (Virginia Tech, 2000-08-18)
    Groundwater parameter analysis, microcosm experiments, and microcosms modeling were undertaken to assess the potential of Monitored Natural Attenuation as a remediation strategy at Site 12 at the Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Little Creek. Site 12 was contaminated with PCE waste disposed by a former dry cleaning facility. In the groundwater analysis, contaminant characteristics and redox indicators were evaluated to assess the reductive dechlorination potential of Site 12. The results of the groundwater analysis indicated that Site 12 exhibited sulfate-reducing and methanogenic conditions which provide the required environment for reductive dechlorination. However, Site 12 only demonstrated partial reductive dechlorination to cis-1,2-DCE and possible anaerobic oxidation of cis-1,2-DCE and VC to CO₂. Microcosms were designed to further evaluate the extent of microbial degradation of the chlorinated ethenes at Site 12 and to provide concentration versus time data for the estimation of chlorinated ethenes' biodegradation rates. The extent of degradation in the microcosms was consistent with the groundwater data. However, ethene production was not observed and the quantity of TCE measured for two of the microcosms differed substantially when compared to the groundwater data. The microcosm model used SEAM3D to simulate the results of the microcosm experiments (concentration versus time data) to estimate the biodegradation rates of PCE and its daughter products. The SEAM3D reductive dechlorination package, based on Monod kinetics, predicted for the MLS12-Shallow microcosm maximum specific utilization rates for PCE, TCE, cis-1,2-DCE and VC at 0.4, 0.42, 0.05, and 0.25 day⁻¹, respectively and half saturation coefficients for PCE, TCE, cis-1,2-DCE and VC at 0.41, 0.01, 0.07, and 0.02 mg/L, respectively. The results of this study suggest that while the groundwater environment provides the necessary conditions for reductive dechlorination, Site 12 is not an efficient system for reductive dechlorination. This lack of efficiency may stem from sparse microbial populations capable of reducing cis-1,2-DCE or the system may contain levels of PCE which inhibit the further reduction of cis-1,2-DCE. Based on the observed inhibitory relationship between PCE and cis-1,2-DCE and VC production, source removal would reduce the PCE levels and encourage further reductive dechlorination at Site 12. Therefore, the recommended first step for a monitered natural attenuation-based remediation strategy at Site 12 should be source removal.
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    Balancing Bromate Formation, Organics Oxidation, and Pathogen Inactivation: The Impact of Bromate Suppression Techniques on Ozonation System Performance in Reuse Waters
    Buehlmann, Peter Hamilton (Virginia Tech, 2019-09-10)
    Ozonation is an integral process in ozone-biofiltration treatment systems and is beginning to be widely adopted worldwide for water reuse applications. Ozone is effective for pathogenic inactivation and organics oxidation: both increasing assimilable organic carbon for biofiltration and eliminating trace organic contaminants which may pose a threat to human health. However, ozone can also form disinfection byproducts such as bromate from the oxidation of naturally occurring anion bromide. Bromate is a known human carcinogen and is regulated by the EU, WHO, and USEPA to a maximum limit of 10µg/L. In waters high in bromide, especially above 100µg/L, bromate formation becomes a major concern. In the secondary wastewater effluent studied, bromide concentration may exceed 500µg/L. Several bromate suppression techniques have been devised in previous work, including free ammonia addition, monochloramination, and the chlorine-ammonia process. While free ammonia addition was not found to adequately reduce bromate formation below the required MCL, monochloramine addition and the chlorine-ammonia process were found to be effective. However, the impact of these chemical suppression techniques on organics oxidation and disinfection has not been fully studied. This study explored the impact of these bromate suppression techniques at a wide range of ozone doses on bromate formation, pathogenic inactivation, ozone-refractory organics oxidation through the surrogate 1,4-dioxane, and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) formation. Additionally, bromate suppression mechanisms of monochloramine were explored further through a variety of different water quality parameters, such as through hydroxyl radical exposure and ultraviolet absorption spectrum measurements, which were correlated and utilized to develop a hydroxyl radical exposure predictive model.
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    Bioaugmentation and Retention of Anammox Granules to a Mainstream Deammonification Bio-Oxidation Pilot with a Post Polishing Anoxic Partial Denitrification/Anammox Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor
    Campolong, Cody James (Virginia Tech, 2019-03-25)
    The Chesapeake Bay watershed has seen an increase in population, nutrient loading, and stringent effluent limits; therefore, cost-effective technologies must be explored and implemented to intensify the treatment of regional wastewater. This work describes the bioaugmentation and retention of anammox (AMX) granules in a continuous adsorption/bio-oxidation (A/B) mainstream deammonification pilot-scale process treating domestic wastewater. The AMX granules were collected from the underflow of a sidestream DEMON® process. The bioaugmentation rate was based on several factors including full-scale sidestream DEMON® wasting rate and sidestream vs mainstream AMX activity. The retention of bioaugmented AMX granules required a novel settling column at the end of the deammonification step. The settling column was designed to provide a surface overflow rate (SOR) that allowed dense AMX granules to settle into the underflow and less dense floccular biomass to outselect into the overflow. B-Stage was operated to out-select nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) by maintaining an ammonia residual (>2 mg NH4-N/L), a relatively high dissolved oxygen (DO) (>1.5 mg O2/L) concentration, an aggressive solids retention time (SRT) for NOB washout, and intermittent aeration for transient anoxia. AMX activity was not detected in the mainstream at any time. The settling column AMX retention quantification suggested but did not confirm AMX were maintained in the mainstream. NOB were not suppressed during this study and no nitrite accumulation was present in the mainstream process. It was theorized that AMX granules were successfully settled into the settling column underflow and accumulated in the intermittently mixed sidestream biological phosphorus reactor (SBPR) where they disintegrated. This work also describes optimization of carbon addition to an anoxic partial denitrification anammox (PdN/A) moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) testing glycerol, acetate, and methanol as carbon sources to maximize total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) removal through the anammox pathway and to minimize effluent TIN. A carbon feeding strategy was developed and was evaluated by the extent of partial denitrification vs full denitrification (partial denitrification efficiency, PdN efficiency). All three carbon sources were capable of high TIN removal, low effluent TIN, and moderate to high PdN efficiency. Average TIN removal for glycerol was 10.0 ± 3.6 mg TIN/L, for acetate it was 8.7 ± 2.9 mg TIN/L, and for methanol it was 11.5 ± 5.6 mg TIN/L. Average effluent TIN for glycerol was 6.0 ± 4.0 mg TIN/L, for acetate it was 5.0 ± 1.1 mg TIN/L, and for methanol it was 4.3 ± 1.5 mg TIN/L. Average PdN efficiency for glycerol was 91.0 ± 9.0%, for acetate it was 88.0 ± 7.7%, and for methanol it was 74.0 ± 8.5%. When PdN efficiency was factored into the cost of each carbon source, methanol was 5.83% cheaper than glycerol per mass TIN removed and 59.0% cheaper than acetate per mass TIN-N removed.
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    Biochemical Lignin Related Processes in Landfills
    Irani, Ayesha (Virginia Tech, 2005-12-16)
    The objective of this study was to determine how the key features of bioreactor landfills; increased temperature, moisture and microbial activity, affect the biological stability of the landfill material. In the first part of the study the solubilization and degradation of lignin in paper exposed to these bioreactor landfill conditions are explored. The solubility of the lignin in paper was observed at different temperatures and over 27 weeks at 55°C and the anaerobic bioconversion of office paper, cardboard and Kraft lignin was observed in bench-scale reactors over 8 weeks. As the temperature rose, lignin solubility increased exponentially. With extended thermal treatment, the dissolution of lignin continues at a constant rate. This rate increases 15 times for paper and 1.5 times for cardboard in the presence of rumen inoculum compared to un-inoculated systems. At around 6 weeks the inter-monomeric linkages between the solubilized lignin molecules began breaking down, releasing monomers. In cardboard and Kraft lignin, a significant amount of the monomers mineralize to CO₂ and CH₄ during this time period. The results indicate that small, but significant rates of lignin solubilization and anaerobic lignin degradation are likely to occur in bioreactor landfills due to both higher temperature and microbial activity. In the second part of the study, field data from the Outer Loop Recycling and Disposal Facility in Louisville, Kentucky was evaluated to determine the effectiveness of an anaerobic-aerobic landfill bioreactor (AALB) vs. the control landfill that is managed as a traditional landfill. Moisture, temperature, elevation and the amount of time the MSW has spent in the landfills (age) were measured and compared to determine the factors that affect the biological stability of the landfill. The results showed that the MSW in the AALB is more biologically stable than the MSW in the control landfill, indicating that they are more degraded. Additionally, elevation or location of the MSW was the key factor in determining the extent of MSW stability within the AALB and temperature is the key factor in determining the biological stability of the MSW in the control landfill. Higher temperatures correlated with a more biologically stable waste. The cellulose to lignin ratio (C/L ratio) and biochemical methane potential (BMP) were the main biological stability parameters used.
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    Biodegradation and Dewatering of an Industrial Waste Oil
    McInnis, Jeffrey A. (Virginia Tech, 2003-02-06)
    Waste oil generated from industrial operations at a diesel locomotive maintenance facility was investigated to establish its treatability and potential volume reduction. The waste oil and water mixture separated into four distinct layers; free oil, emulsified oil, weathered oil, and wastewater. The research was conducted in a series of three batch experiments and focused on the emulsified and weathered oils. The waste oil was aerobically treated in nutrient amended, 55 gallon (208 L) drums for 38 to 42 days in 10 and 20 % mixtures with sufficient air for mixing and oxygen. Biodegradation, and the role of a synthetic surfactant in promoting biodegradation, was measured using chemical oxygen demand (COD), fluorescein diacetate (FDA), and gas chromatography (GC) analyses with extractable material. Dewatering of biodegraded oil was measured using capillary suction test (CST), time to filter (TTF), and percent cake solids. Batch 1 examined the role of bioaugmentation by comparing a 10% waste oil mixture that was augmented with a mixture of hydrocarbon degraders to a 10 % mixture of waste oil with no bioaugmentation. Final COD reductions were 59 (± 9) and 38 (±3) % for the bioaugmented and non-bioaugmented reactors, respectively. Chromatographs showed significant reduction in the abundance of peaks by the end of the experiment for both reactors. Overall results suggested that there was no significant difference in biodegradation capabilities between the amended and native microorganisms. Batch 2 was conducted to determine if a synthetic surfactant (Tween-80) could enhance biodegradation of a 10 % waste oil mixture. The surfactant-amended reactor showed COD reduction 3 days before the non-surfactant-amended reactor. Chromatographs showed similar results for both reactors with the non-surfactant-amended reactor showing slightly better degradation by the end of the experiment. The total COD reduction by the end of the experiment was the same in both (R1: 85 ± 20%, R2: 84 ± 16 %), suggesting that exogenous surfactant addition did not have a long-term impact in the biodegradation of the waste oil. Batch 3 examined the effect of different oil phases and concentrations on biodegradation and the dewatering characteristics of post-biodegraded waste oil. The 20 % weathered and emulsified waste oil mixture showed a clear delay in COD reduction (no notable reduction until day 24) compared to the 10 % weathered waste oil mixture. The final COD reductions were the same (R1: 48 ± 13%, R2: 49, ± 23 %). Chromatographs showed similar results for both reactors and indicated that degradation of the waste oil occurred in both reactors. The data suggest that the 20 % waste oil mixture can be degraded to the same extent as the 10 % mixture in 38 days. Dewatering characteristics, as measured by CST, were poor for the 20 % post-biodegraded combined waste oil mixture without conditioning. Conditioning with alum or ferric chloride substantially improved dewatering of the waste oil for the 20 % mixture but was of limited benefit for the 10 % mixture. Percent cake solids for conditioned 10 % post-biodegraded waste oil mixture was 44 (± 0.3) to 50 (± 1.7) % and 34 (± 0.3) to 50 (± 1.8) % for the 20 % mixture. The cake solids for the unconditioned 10 % mixture was 50 to 65 % and 54 to 68 % for the 20 % mixture. The higher percent cake solids for the unconditioned 20 % mixture was countered by the very high TTF (up to 30 min. to filter 50 mL) and the inability to dewater the sludge during the last five sampling events. Conditioning appeared to have a limited effect on the dewatering properties of the 10 % mixture.
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    Biodegradation of 2,4-Dinitrotoluene in the Waste Streams of a Munitions Plant
    Christopher, Heidi Jandell (Virginia Tech, 1998-09-15)
    Wastewater from the manufacture of propellants typically contains 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT), a suspected animal carcinogen. Previous studies have indicated that DNT is aerobically biodegradable. However, inconsistent removal of DNT during aerobic treatment has been observed at a munitions wastewater treatment plant, necessitating the use of activated carbon pre-treatment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of nutrient and cosubstrate amendments on the rate and extent of DNT removal. Addition of ethanol (100-500 mg/l) and phosphate (0.8-3.3 mg/l) significantly accelerated the rate of aerobic DNT (0.3-5.6 mg/l) biodegradation. Addition of phosphate alone also increased the rate of DNT degradation, but to a lesser degree. The presence of ethyl ether, another substrate commonly found in munitions plant wastewater, had comparatively little effect on the rate of DNT removal. Interruptions in the DNT manufacturing process can result in DNT being absent from the munitions plant wastewater for extended periods. The effect of such interruptions was evaluated in semi-continuously operated reactors, fed daily with phosphate-amended wastewater, at a hydraulic residence time of 3 days. DNT removal resumed without a lag even after it was absent from the feed for periods up to 15 days. During aerobic biodegradation of DNT, reduction to 4-amino-2-nitrotoluene and 2-amino-4-nitrotoluene was consistently observed, with reduction at the para position predominating. The highest level of aminonitrotoluene formation was 23% of the total DNT degraded. Aminonitrotoluene isomers were consumed shortly after they formed in the semi-continuously operated reactors, confirming the potential for degradation of these metabolites. Although the aminonitrotoluene isomers are not currently regulated, their presence in treated munitions wastewater is a concern due to possible toxicity.