A hybrid (cryptic growth & feasting/fasting) approach for biosolids reduction

在加拿大，每年大约生产388,700吨干污泥（生物固体），现有的废水处理厂（WWTPs）正在扩大，以满足不断增长的城市的需求，这将导致未来污泥产量的增加。此外，由于重金属、个人护理产品、内分泌干扰物、多氯联苯（PCBs）、多环芳烃（PAHs）或二恶英等人为微污染物的存在，废物污泥的质量正在恶化，限制了农业和土地的再利用。新的和实用的减少污水处理厂污泥的方法不仅可以减少与污泥管理和处置有关的运营和资本成本，而且还可以减少生物固体的产生，并在送往填埋场或农田时减少对环境的有害影响。这个项目建立在我在污泥减量的MW预处理污泥线的专业知识基础上，但将注意力转移到废水处理过程中（提前一步）降低污泥产量的废水线工艺上，而不是在产生后进行后处理。这项工作的目的是研究一种混合（超声后氧沉淀厌氧系统）污泥减量工艺，作为一种可行的技术，以改善生物降解和降低污泥产量。建议的研究可以直接应用于污水处理厂，而不是场外的后处理。作为碳氧循环的一部分，该方法增强了污泥在好氧/厌氧生物反应器中的生物降解，并降低了厌氧生物固体消化、脱水、干燥和运输的成本。这项研究的其他好处将是改善污泥的脱水能力，减少返回环境的生物固体，以及减少转移到陆地上种植的粮食作物和泄漏到地下水的污染物。如果这项研究成功，污泥线处理设施（即厌氧消化）的扩建可以推迟，加拿大将处于创新废水线污泥最小化技术的前沿。

In Canada approximately 388,700 tons of dry sewage sludge (biosolids) are produced yearly and existing waste water treatment plants (WWTPs) are expanding to serve the demand of growing cities, which will result in an increase of sludge production in the future. Furthermore, the quality of waste sludge 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 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. This program builds on my expertise within the sludge line of MW pretreatment for sludge reduction, but shifts the focus of attention to wastewater line processes that lower sludge yield during wastewater treatment (one step earlier) rather than post-treatment after generation. The aim of this work is to study a hybrid (sonication followed by oxic-settling-anaerobic system) sludge reduction process as a viable technology for improved biodegradation and reduced sludge yield. The proposed research can be directly applied at the WWTP rather than in off-site post-treatments. The prior enhances biodegradation of sludge in aerobic/anaerobic bioreactors as a part of the carbon-oxygen cycle and leads to cost reductions in anaerobic biosolids digestion, dewatering, drying and transportation. 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 leaked into groundwater. If this research is successful, expansion of the sludge line treatment facilities (i.e., anaerobic digestion) could be delayed and Canada would be at the forefront of innovative wastewater line sludge minimization technology.