Abstract Pharmaceutical pollutants, a group of emerging contaminants, have attracted outstanding attention in recent years, and their removal from aquatic environments has been addressed. In the current study, a new sponge-based moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was developed to remove chemical oxygen demand (COD) and the pharmaceutical compound Ibuprofen (IBU). A 30-L pilot scale MBBR was constructed, which was continuously fed from the effluent of the first clarifier of the Southern Tehran wastewater treatment plant. The controlled operational parameters were pH in the natural range, Dissolved Oxygen of 1.5–2 mg/L, average suspended mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), and mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS) of 1.68 ± 0.1 g/L and 1.48 ± 0.1 g/L, respectively. The effect of hydraulic retention time (HRT) (5 h, 10 h, 15 h), filling ratio (10%, 20%, 30%), and initial IBU concentration (2 mg/L, 5 mg/L, 10 mg/L) on removal efficiencies was assessed. The findings of this study revealed a COD removal efficiency ranging from 48.9 to 96.7%, with the best removal efficiency observed at an HRT of 10 h, a filling ratio of 20%, and an initial IBU concentration of 2 mg/L. Simultaneously, the IBU removal rate ranged from 25 to 92.7%, with the highest removal efficiency observed under the same HRT and filling ratio, albeit with an initial IBU concentration of 5 mg/L. An extension of HRT from 5 to 10 h significantly improved both COD and IBU removal. However, further extension from 10 to 15 h slightly enhanced the removal efficiency of COD and IBU, and even in some cases, removal efficiency decreased. Based on the obtained results, 20% of the filling ratio was chosen as the optimum state. Increasing the initial concentration of IBU from 2 to 5 mg/L generally improved COD and IBU removal, whereas an increase from 5 to 10 mg/L caused a decline in COD and IBU removal. This study also optimized the reactor’s efficiency for COD and IBU removal by using response surface methodology (RSM) with independent variables of HRT, filling ratio, and initial IBU concentration. In this regard, the quadratic model was found to be significant. Utilizing the central composite design (CCD), the optimal operating parameters at an HRT of 10 h, a filling ratio of 21%, and an initial IBU concentration of 3 mg/L were pinpointed, achieving the highest COD and IBU removal efficiencies. The present study demonstrated that sponge-based MBBR stands out as a promising technology for COD and IBU removal.
Industries persistently contribute to environmental pollution by releasing a multitude of harmful substances, including organic dyes, which represent a significant hazard to human health. As a result, the demand for effective adsorbents in wastewater treatment technology is steadily increasing so as to mitigate or eradicate these environmental risks. In response to this challenge, we have developed an advanced composite known as MOF-5/Cellulose aerogel, utilizing the Pampas plant as a natural material in the production of cellulose aerogel. Our investigation focused on analyzing the adsorption and flexibility characteristics of this novel composite for organic dye removal. Additionally, we conducted tests to assess the aerogel's reusability and determined that its absorption rate remained consistent, with the adsorption capacity of the MOF-5/cellulose aerogel composite only experiencing a marginal 5% reduction. Characterization of the material was conducted through XRD analysis, revealing the cubic structure of MOF aerogel particles under scanning electron microscopy. Our study unequivocally demonstrates the superior adsorption capabilities of the MOF-5/cellulose aerogel composite, particularly evident in its efficient removal of acid blue dye, as evaluated meticulously using UV-Vis spectrophotometric techniques. Notably, our findings revealed an impressive 96% absorption rate for the anionic dye under acidic pH conditions. Furthermore, the synthesized MOF-5/cellulose aerogel composite exhibited Langmuir isotherm behavior and followed pseudo-second-order kinetics during the absorption process. With its remarkable absorption efficiency, MOF-5/cellulose aerogel composites are poised to emerge as leading adsorbents for water purification and various other applications.
Anzali Wetland Crisis: Unraveling the Decline of Iran's Ecological Gem M. Mahdian1, R. Noori2,3,*, M.M. Salamattalab1, E. Heggy4,5, S.M. Bateni6, A. Nohegar2, M. Hosseinzadeh1, S.M. Siadatmousavi1, M.R. Fadaei7, S. Abolfathi81School of Civil Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Narmak, Tehran 1684613114, Iran. 2Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, 1417853111, Iran. 3Faculty of Governance, University of Tehran, Tehran 1439814151, Iran. 4Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. 5Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. 6Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. 7Niroo Research Institute, Tehran 1468613113, Iran. 8School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK. *Corresponding author: Roohollah Noori (noor@ut.ac.ir); ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7463-8563 This manuscript is submitted to JGR: Atmospheres
Anzali Wetland Crisis: Unraveling the Decline of Iran's Ecological Gem M. Mahdian1, R. Noori2,3,*, M.M. Salamattalab1, E. Heggy4,5, S.M. Bateni6, A. Nohegar2, M. Hosseinzadeh1, S.M. Siadatmousavi1, M.R. Fadaei7, S. Abolfathi81School of Civil Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Narmak, Tehran 1684613114, Iran. 2Graduate Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran, Tehran, 1417853111, Iran. 3Faculty of Governance, University of Tehran, Tehran 1439814151, Iran. 4Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. 5Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA. 6Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Water Resources Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. 7Niroo Research Institute, Tehran 1468613113, Iran. 8School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK. *Corresponding author: Roohollah Noori (noor@ut.ac.ir); ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7463-8563 This manuscript is submitted to JGR: Atmospheres
Abstract The novel process consisted of two steps was established by combining all sidestreams lines (supernatant gravity thickener, underflow mechanical thickener, and centrate), treating them together away from the mainstream treatment plant, and returning treated sidestreams effluents to the plant outfall instead of plant head. The two steps novelty treatment combined degradation, nitrification, and dilution processes. To treat combined sidestreams, a novel pilot extended nutrient moving bed biofilm reactor was developed. The effects of sidestream elimination on a full-scale anaerobic/anoxic/oxic system were simulated using GPS-X7. The statistical results of R values greater than 0.8 and NMSE values near zero proved the calibrated model’s validation. The novel system successfully removed 98, 93, 100, 85, 98, 100, and 98% of BOD, COD, NH 4 , NO 3 , TSS, H 2 S, and PO 4 -P from sidestreams, respectively. Furthermore, the simulation results showed that eliminating sidestreams has reduced volumes of full-scale A 2 /O facilities, controlled hydraulic and pollutants shocks, and minimized cost and energy. The novel process proved successful in treating combined sidestreams and eliminating their impacts on the A/O 2 system.
Excess sludge production is one of the limitations of the biological activated sludge process. Therefore, the study’s objective is to upgrade the MBBR process to an integrated fixed film-activated sludge (IFAS) process to reduce excess sludge production. Two scenarios were followed in this study to eliminate sludge production in the biological activated sludge process: first, modifying the moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) system by increasing the solid retention time (SRT) from 5 to 15 days; and second, upgrading the MBBR process to the integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) process by applying return activated sludge (RAS) of 50, 100 and 150% with operating hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 6, 12, 14 and 20 h. The results revealed that the first scenario reduced sludge production from 750 to 150 g/day, whereas the second scenario eliminated sludge generation. In the second scenario, operating the system as an IFAS process with complete SRT has eliminated sludge due to sludge decay and cell lysis. In part 3 of the second scenario, the results also showed that the system achieved low effluent pollutants concentrations of 3, 12, 8 and 45 mg/L for BOD, COD, TSS and NO3, respectively. Operating at complete SRT may eliminate sludge production but also result in higher NO3 effluent concentration due to the production of NH3 from sludge decay and cell lysis. To conclude, sludge elimination in an activated sludge system is possible by carefully controlling the process and applying RAS without additional treatment.
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