A tool kit for municipal biosolids disintegration for enhanced biodegradation

加拿大的市政当局依靠生物处理系统来处理其公民产生的废水。城市和工业废水的处理研究是我国经济可持续发展的迫切需要。此外，由于重金属、个人护理产品、内分泌干扰物、多氯联苯、多环芳烃或二恶英等人为微污染物的存在，污水处理过程中产生的废物(残留)污泥(生物固体)的质量正在恶化，限制了农业和土地的再利用。新的实用的污水处理厂(WWTP)污泥减量方法不仅可以降低与污泥管理和处置相关的运营和资本成本，而且还可以减少生物固体的产生，并在被送往垃圾填埋场或农田时产生有害的环境影响。不列颠哥伦比亚大学奥卡纳根环境工程学院(UBC O)的研究既涉及废水的处理，也涉及废水处理过程中产生的生物固体的处理。生物固体粉碎机工具包由热粉碎机(封闭式容器微波装置)、机械粉碎机(实验室法国压榨机)和超声波污泥粉碎机组成，它们是研究通过高级水解和生物降解最大限度减少剩余生物固体的关键仪器。这项研究的其他好处将是改善污泥脱水能力，减少生物固体返回环境，以及减少转移到陆地上种植的粮食作物和渗入地下水的污染物。该工具包将被环境教师和学生大量使用，并将增强UBC O研究人员的发现、创新和培训能力。

Canada's municipalities rely on biological treatment systems to treat the wastewater produced by its citizens. Research concerning the treatment of municipal and industrial wastewaters is urgently needed to sustain the growth of our country. Furthermore, the quality of waste (residual) sludge (biosolids) produced during sewage treatment is worsening as a result of the presence of anthropogenic micro-pollutants, such as heavy metals, personal care products, endocrine disrupters, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) or dioxins, limiting agricultural and land reuse. New and practical wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) sludge reduction approaches would not only reduce the operational and capital costs associated with sludge management and disposal, but also result in production of less biosolids and deleterious environmental effects when sent to landfill or agricultural land. Research by Environmental Engineering faculty at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBC O) addresses both the treatment of wastewater and the treatment of biosolids produced during wastewater treatment. The biosolids disintegrator tool kit is comprised of a thermal (closed vessel microwave unit), mechanical (laboratory French press) and ultrasonic sludge disintegrators which are key instruments to study residual biosolids minimization through advanced hydrolysis and biodegradation. Other benefits of this research will be improved sludge dewaterability and less biosolids returned to the environment as well as reduction of contaminants transferred to food crops grown on land and leaching into groundwater. The tool kit will be heavily used by the environmental faculty and students and will enhance the discovery, innovation and training capabilities of researchers at UBC O.