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和供水基础设施普遍老化，迫切需要向更可持续的资源回收型废水管理过渡。Liu的研究小组开发了厌氧消化（AD）工艺，用于在AD反应器内同时回收能量和磷（P），该工艺获得了SPRING专利。这是使用改进的上流式厌氧污泥床（UASB）反应器，在嗜温和嗜热条件下操作，处理源转向棕色和黑水。高甲烷产量和有机负荷率实现了两种水类型远远超过以前报道的产量。最显着的是P回收的沉淀物的形式在厌氧颗粒污泥中没有化学添加。需要进一步的研究来确定关键工程设计和操作参数在功能性微生物群落开发中的作用，并探索工艺限制和优化方案。拟议的DG计划的长期目标是在加拿大和国外的污水管理中使用AD创新来整合基于可持续资源回收的污水处理。该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能量和P回收开发具有成本效益的设计和操作策略，从而实现更可持续的废水管理。该研究将解决两个目标：A）通过探索影响废水能量和P回收的关键工程因素，并研究在选定的工程操作条件下微生物群的相互作用和相关的局部化学条件下P回收，阐明与SPRING工艺相关的机制;和B）根据Aim中确定的关键工程参数，通过将微生物工艺与工程设计联系起来，重新设计SPRING工艺，以优化废水能量和磷回收并评估新的反倾销运作策略和加拿大条件的设计。该计划将为基于资源回收的生物废水处理提供科学基础，指导解决方案，逐步取代传统的能源密集型做法，服务于新的有前途的本地和国际市场，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，实现供水服务中的水、能源和残留物净零，这些技术不通过泄漏或排污口排放废水，而是回收适合再利用的水，改善接收水的质量，降低温室气体排放。

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.