Mechanistic understanding of simultaneous energy and phosphorous recovery in a single anaerobic reactor: Path to resource-recovery based wastewater treatment

水和废水的收集和处理是能源密集型和昂贵的过程。鉴于加拿大废水处理系统的状况恶化，水基础设施普遍老化，迫切需要向更可持续的基于资源回收的废水管理过渡。刘的研究小组开发了厌氧消化(AD)工艺，用于在AD反应器中同时回收能量和磷(P)，该工艺被注册为Spring。这是通过改进的上流式厌氧污泥床(UASB)反应器实现的，该反应器在中温和高温条件下运行，同时处理水源改道的棕色和黑水。这两种水的甲烷产量和有机负载率都很高，远远超过了以前报道的产量。最显着的是不加化学物质的厌氧颗粒污泥中以沉淀物的形式回收磷。需要进一步的研究，以确定关键的工程设计和操作参数在开发功能性微生物群落中的作用，并探索工艺限制和优化选择。拟议的DG计划的长期目标是利用加拿大和国外的污水管理中的AD创新，整合基于可持续资源回收的废水处理。拟议计划的短期目标是探索关键生态和代谢功能与工程参数之间的联系，并为AD能源和磷回收制定具有成本效益的设计和运营策略，从而实现更可持续的废水管理。拟议的研究将致力于两个目标：a)通过探索影响废水能量和磷回收的关键工程因素，并研究在选定的工程操作条件和相关的局部化学条件下用于磷回收的微生物群的相互作用，阐明与泉水工艺相关的机制；以及b)通过将微生物工艺与工程设计联系起来，重新设计泉水工艺，以根据目标A中确定的关键工程参数优化废水能量和磷回收，并评估适合加拿大条件的新的AD运行策略和设计。拟议的计划将为基于资源回收的生物废水处理提供科学基础，指导能够逐步取代传统能源密集型做法的解决方案，服务于前景看好的新的本地和国际市场，并解决由于排放要求日益严格而导致的资本和运营成本不断上升的问题。它将支持开发商和加拿大市政当局/公用事业公司考虑的开创性活动，使社区能够通过基于资源回收的处理技术，实现净水、能源和供水服务中的残留物为零，这些技术不会通过泄漏或排污口排放废水，而是回收适合重复使用的水，改善接收水的质量，降低温室气体(GHG)排放。

Water and wastewater collection and treatment are energy intensive and costly processes. Given the deteriorated state of Canadian wastewater treatment systems and aging water infrastructure generally, a transition towards more sustainable resource-recovery based wastewater management is urgently needed. Liu's research group developed anaerobic digestion (AD) processes for simultaneous energy and phosphorus (P) recovery within AD reactors, a process patented as SPRING. This was achieved using a modified upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor, operated under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, treating both source-diverted brown and blackwater. High methane production and organic loading rates were achieved for both water types far exceeding previously reported yields. Most significant was P recovery in the form of precipitates in the anaerobic granular sludge without chemical addition. Further studies are needed to identify the roles of key engineering design and operation parameters in the development of functional microbial communities and explore process limitations and optimisation options. The long-term goal of the proposed DG program is to integrate sustainable resource-recovery based wastewater treatment using AD innovations in sewage management in Canada and abroad. The short-term objective of the proposed program is to explore the link between key ecology and metabolic functions and engineering parameters, and to develop cost-effective design and operation strategies for AD energy and P recovery, leading to more sustainable wastewater management. The proposed research will address two aims: A) Elucidate the mechanisms associated with the SPRING process by exploring key engineering factors influencing wastewater energy and P recovery and studying interactions of the microbiota under selected engineering operation conditions and associated localised chemical conditions for P recovery; and B) Redesign the SPRING process by linking microbial processes to engineering design to optimise wastewater energy and P recovery based on key engineering parameters identified in Aim A and to assess new AD operation strategies and designs for Canadian conditions. The proposed program will provide the scientific foundation for resource-recovery based biological wastewater treatments, guide solutions that can gradually displace the conventional energy-intensive practices, serve new promising local and international markets and address escalating capital and operating costs due to the ever-increasing stringency in discharge requirements. It will support pioneering activities considered by developers and Canadian municipalities/utilities, so that communities can aspire to net zero water, energy and residuals in water services, through resource-recovery based treatment technologies that do not discharge wastewater via leakage or outfalls but recover fit-for-reuse water, improving receiving water quality and lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.