Excess sludge treatment and disposal currently represents a rising challenge for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) due to economic, environmental and regulation factors. There is therefore considerable impetus to explore and develop strategies and technologies for reducing excess sludge production in biological wastewater treatment processes. This paper reviews current strategies for reducing sludge production based on these mechanisms: lysis-cryptic growth, uncoupling metabolism, maintenance metabolism, and predation on bacteria. The strategies for sludge reduction should be evaluated and chosen for practical application using costs analysis and assessment of environmental impact. High costs still limit technologies of sludge ozonation-cryptic growth and membrane bioreactor from spreading application in full-scale WWTPs. Bioacclimation and harmful to environment are major bottlenecks for chemical uncoupler in practical application. Sludge reduction induced by oligochaetes may present a cost-effective way for WWTPs if unstable worm growth is solved. Employing any strategy for reducing sludge production may have an impact on microbial community in biological wastewater treatment processes. This impact may influence the sludge characteristics and the quality of effluent. r

Feasibility and engineering aspects of biological sulphate reduction in gas-lift reactors were studied. Hydrogen and carbon dioxide were used as energy and carbon source. Attention was paid to biofilm formation, sulphide toxicity, sulphate conversion rate optimization, and gas-liquid mass transfer limitations. Sulphate-reducing bacteria formed stable biofilms on pumice particles. Biofilm formation was not observed when basalt particles were used. However, use of basalt particles led to the formation of granules of sulphate-reducing biomass. The sulphate-reducing bacteria, grown on pumice, easily adapted to free H(2)S concentrations up to 450 mg/L. Biofilm growth rate then equilibrated biomass loss rate. These high free H(2)S concentrations caused reversible inhibition rather than acute toxicity. When free H(2)S concentrations were kept below 450 mg/L, a maximum sulphate conversion rate of 30 g SO(4) (2-)/L x d could be achieved after only 10 days of operation. Gas-to-liquid hydrogen mass transfer capacity of the reactor determined the maximum sulphate conversion rate.

Pilot-scale experiments were carried out to compare sludge reduction induced by Oligochaete in a submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) and a conventional activated sludge (CAS) reactor for 345 d. Worm growth in the CAS reactor was much better than in the MBR. The average worm density of the aeration tank in the CAS reactor was 71 total worms/mg of volatile suspended solids (VSS), much higher than that in the MBR (10 total worms/mg of VSS). Worms did not naturally produce in the MBR, and the dominant worm type in the MBR depended on sludge inoculation from the CAS reactor. Only two types of worms were found in the MBR, Aeolosoma hemprichicii and Nais elinguis. Worm presence and disappearance in the MBR alternated. Worms in the CAS reactor occurred nearly throughout the operating period and were continuously maintained at over 30 total worms/mg of VSS in the aeration tank for 172 d. Three types of worm were found in the CAS reactor, A. hemprichicii, Pristina aequiseta, and N. elinguis, but P. aequiseta was present only occasionally. The alternating dominance of worm types in both reactors changed between Aeolosoma and Nais, and the time of Aeolosoma dominance was longer than that of Nais dominance. Worm growth in the MBR contributed to neither sludge reduction nor improvement of sludge settling characteristics because of low density. But worm presence and bloom in the CAS reactor greatly decreased sludge yield and improved sludge settling characteristics at high density. Both the average sludge yield (0.17 kg of suspended solids (SS)/kg of chemical oxygen demand removed (CODremoved)) and sludge volume index (60 mL/g) in the CAS reactor were much lower than those in the MBR (0.40 kg of SS/kg of CODremoved and 133 mL/g). Nais had more potential for sludge reduction than Aeolosoma. Worm growth had little impact on effluent quality in the MBR but affected effluent quality very much in the CAS reactor.

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