Membranes as a "dirt-killer" in sewage plants

New technology for sewage water treatment system is intended to supplement central Berlin

A new technique for the purification of sewage Berlin researchers have now developed. Using bacteria and fine membranes they turn even heavily polluted water back to bathing quality. The so-called membrane bioreactor (MBR), which is currently being tested in the Berlin district of Lichtenberg, due to its compact design, even in remote villages are used.
Sewage

About 33,000 are in Berlin today (yet) connected to the central sewer system. This includes the approximately 250 residents of the settlement amount, Margaret. Because there can flow over the peeling Ling ditch cleaned the water course to Panke, the settlement was selected for the study and a drainage pressure developed locally.

The new membrane bioreactor process, which is first used here works like a traditional sewage treatment plant, only a smaller amount of space. Bacteria are stimulated by the addition or removal of oxygen to almost complete biodegradation of phosphorus and nitrogen compounds. In a specially designed container for this purpose but will be added the forced passage of a thick package of special membranes. Their passage openings are so small that remain even hang pathogens. The water is disinfected and filled it completely, even the new limits of the EU Bathing Water Directive.

sewage water treatment: researchers in the footsteps of Nitrospira bacteria

WWTF project for the optimization of treatment systems

In order to optimize the sewage water treatment in the future even more, researchers investigate Holger DAIM by the Department of Microbial Ecology at the University of Vienna in its current WWTF project Nitrospira bacteria.

"These bacteria, which in the removal of nitrogen from sewage water play a significant role, are still largely unexplored, because they can not be grown as pure cultures in the laboratory," said DAIM against press text. Using modern molecular biological means, the researchers will now solve this mystery.
"In addition to waste water are phosphates and other chemical substances and large quantities of nitrogen," explains DAIM. If one were to take these amounts into natural waters, it would lead to the eutrophication of the water. Therefore, the sewage water must be removed by nitrogen. "Nitrite-oxidizing assume an important part of this mission bacteria (NOB) living in sewage sludge," says the researcher. Depending on the system about two to ten percent of all bacteria belonging to the genus Nitrospira in sewage sludge.
In modern sewage treatment plants thousands of different types of bacteria live in a complex community. They play in the degradation of pollutants an important role. Until now, the processes were unclear. "In order to shed light on the matter, we have sequenced a genome of a Nitrospira strain. Now we want to win with fellow researchers at the Department of Molecular Systems Biology in Vienna and the University of Hamburg further information by genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics." The analysis of uncultured bacteria is a particular challenge, because there in the samples taken in addition to other Nitrospira bacteria. "The more we learn about the organisms, the higher is the chance that we can do it at some point, to cultivate them in pure culture. Then additional experiments would be possible that without such cultures still are not feasible," said DAIM.

sewage treatment: diamond electron as a promising solution

The project is for the treatment of organically contaminated heavy water. The researchers tested Leoben used for large systems. Is at the Montanuniversität worked hard in the treatment of organically polluted water. For the treatment of highly polluted waste water, the standard procedures are often not sufficient. To minimize heavy organic impurities, diamond electrodes could be used, such as from a current research project the Montanuniversität Leoben apparent. As part of a "FFG-Bridge" project attempts to evaluate the degradation efficiency of diamond electrodes are carried out to test their possible use in chemical-physical waste treatment facilities.

Anodic Oxifdation. The technique using anodic oxidation treatment of sewage is relatively new. The possibilities have been detected only with the development of diamond electrodes in recent years. The anodic oxidation is an electrochemical oxidation method which directly uses the raw water as electrolyte and therefrom oxidant such as Ozone, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine produced. These oxidants attack the organic impurities and build them from water and carbon dioxide. In addition to the degradation of organic matter also provides an excellent disinfecting effect is given.

Fuel produced from sewage water

Future energy With this experimental setup it was possible to produce
hydrogen using bacteria
American researchers have managed something amazing: They produce
cost-effective and environmentally friendly energy - and for sewage.

It is among the cleanest methods of power generation experts believe
that the use of hydrogen for a long time, because no carbon dioxide
produced during combustion that heats the Earth's atmosphere. Combined
in an engine, the molecules of the gas with one oxygen atom is the
result of chemical reaction - in addition to the energy released -
only pure water.

Sustained the power source is also. Because the basis for the reaction
in water is virtually inexhaustible exist on Earth.

High cost of some energy

To date, however, fails skimming a large volume of this source,
however, mainly because the hydrogen production itself is very energy
consuming. Because the gas is produced by the electrolytic
dissociation of water into water and oxygen. Only if the electrolysis
process required for this energy comes from renewable sources such as
wind power or solar power, hydrogen bears the title of "carbon
neutral" and rightly so. He is a true environmentally friendly fuel.

This problem has now Professor Bruce Logan in his
"electrically-assisted microbial fuel cell" solved with bacteria. The
unicellular organisms in an environment without oxygen decompose
organic waste and the pollution load in sewage from households, food
factories, or from farms. They split the organic material and excrete
it from the pure hydrogen. He is bubbling as gas bubbles from the
broth.

Cheap producers: bacteria

The first published online proceedings will be published in the
journal "Environmental Science and Technology." Logan and his
colleagues to produce up to four times more hydrogen directly from
water or biomass than managed so far. Because usually the natural
fermentation of the waste with bacteria limits are set: without an
extra energy boost from the outside can consume the carbohydrates of
the protozoa biomass only in narrowly limited in scope and thus split.
There always remains a sediment left on the end product, the bacteria
can not digest continues: as acetic and butyric acids.

"That's why we hurried along with mini-tension," Logan ventilated the
secret of his discovery, "already about 0.25 volts are sufficient to
overcome the bacterial fermentation of the threshold." This enabled
Bruce Logan and his colleagues measured the energy consumption as
opposed to the usual production method of hydrogen to one tenth of the
amount reduced.

Engineered bacteria are voracious

How far left as acetic or butyric acid end products remained Logan
bacteria digest now with the help of these additional energy. "The
process shows worldwide for the first time ever that we have the
potential to generate hydrogen as a basis for really clean mobility,"
said Logan, the results of research conducted by the National Science
Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Penn State Huck
Life Science Institute has been promoted.

"Basically, we use the same fuel cell, which is also utilized for
sewage treatment," said Bruce Logan, "but we continue the process
without oxygen, but under stress." If the bacteria then eat biomass,
they send electrons to the anode of the apparatus . They wander from
there via a wire to the cathode where they are - connect with the
"digestion" of the bacteria also caused protons (hydrogen atoms
without an electron), which float in the solution of hydrogen
molecules - excited by the voltage. The researchers call their special
fuel "BioElectrochemically-Assisted Microbial Reactor" (BEAMR).

The trick: Since there are many places on earth, is sewage-treatment
plants can be produced with the new method also almost everywhere in
the effluent hydrogen. "This," is Logan convinced. "Our system makes
it an economically very competitive method" In the end, so that is two
birds with the same stone: This is how the climate-friendly fuel of
the future manufacture and as a "waste product" receives one way
process of clean drinking water.

Tepco wants to build more temporary storage facilities for sewage water

Earthquake- Helpers in cleaning up the area surrounding the nuclear
plant in Fukushima.
The operator of the damaged Japanese nuclear power plant in Fukushima
plans to build additional interim storage facility for highly
radioactive waste. Tepco is to create a media report from Sunday until
early June, capacity for 31 400 tons of water.

Should then be built up with additional storage capacity every month
until December vast reservoir if the water filtration and cooling
systems do not work again in June as planned, the Japanese television
station NHK reported.

Tepco has currently pumping almost 70 000 tonnes of radioactively
contaminated waste water from the turbine buildings and out of
tunnels, which had been used for emergency cooling of the damaged
reactor. The water hinders the repair work on the cooling system and
endanger the workers. The nuclear power plant was on the earthquake
and subsequent tsunami 11th March has been severely damaged.

Pope Benedict XVI. thought in his Easter message of disaster. The
country may "find comfort and hope as it is the dramatic consequences
of the recent earthquake," imagine, Benedict said on Easter Sunday at
the festively decorated St. Peter's Square in Rome in front of tens of
thousands of believers. On Sunday in Japan were registered 14 300
deaths, 11 999 people were more missing.

Waste water - a source of hydrogen

Bacteria produce hydrogen for power generation

Washington - Major U.S. food producers could use their starch-rich
wastewater to hydrogen production with a value of five million
dollars. This is made possible by the addition of hydrogen-producing
bacteria wastewater. The researchers presented the results of the Penn
State University on the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Society
for Microbiology.

In the experiment enabled the U.S. researcher Steven Van Ginkel and Oh
Sang-Eun, the wastewater of a food processing company with a
hydrogen-producing bacteria. Formed only with bacteria, the spores.
These bacteria form survives even under harsh environmental
conditions, starts growth again but under favorable conditions.

"The spores contain bacteria that produce hydrogen. In case of contact
with the waste they eat food in the water and produce hydrogen in a
conventional fermentation process," says Van Ginkel. If the effluent
is also in the hydrogen production kept pace in the weakly acidic
range, methane-producing bacteria can grow and consume no not the
hydrogen.

Biogas

According to researchers formed after only one Fermentationstag biogas
under anaerobic conditions with a hydrogen content of 60 percent and a
CO2 level of 40 percent. In the second phase of the process will
change the acidity of the effluent and methane-producing bacteria are
added. These bacteria eat the remainder methane, produce and grow. The
remaining sludge corresponds to one quarter to one fifth of the volume
as obtained under aerobic conditions.

The benefits, according to Van Ginkel on hand. Hydrogen and methane
could be converted into electricity via fuel cells. Both gases are
removed from the wastewater plant would no longer be ventilated.
According Ginkel ventilation for 20 to 80 percent of the wastewater
treatment cost is responsible.

waste water treatment and sewage plants

Learn about waste water treatment and sewage plants essential for healthy living and environment.