Challenges of a feasible route towards sustainability in environmental protection

Abstract

Anaerobic processes for treatment of low and high strength wastewaters and solid wastes constitute the core method in the natural biological mineralization (NBM) treatment concept. When adequately combined with the complementary NBM-systems and modern clean water saving practices in wastewater collection and transport, they represent a feasible route to sustainable environmental protection (EP sus ), in essence even towards a more sustainable society. Despite the development and implementation of modern high rate Anaerobic Wastewater Treatment (AnWT-) systems and complementary innovative NBM-processes, the considerable progress made since the seventies in fundamental insights in microbiology, biochemistry and process technology, still numerous challenging improvements in the NBM-field can be realized. This contribution is mainly based on the insights attained from wide ranging literature evaluations and the results of experimental research conducted by numerous PhD students who participated in our group over the last four decades. An attempt is made here to identify major facets on which an improved insight can, and consequently should, be obtained in order to accomplish more optimal operation and design of various types of Anaerobic Degradation (AnDeg-) processes.

Relating Anaerobic Digestion Microbial Community and Process Function : Supplementary Issue: Water Microbiology

“… 1 Although the technology has been employed for decades, it has received renewed attention as it provides a more sustainable alternative to waste treatment over energy-intensive methods of the past. 2 , 3 Compared with traditional aerobic treatment, AD has several potential advantages such as lower operational costs from lack of aeration requirements, energy production from biomethane, significantly less biomass production, which reduces handling and disposal costs, and the ability to degrade certain pollutants, which cannot be aerobically removed. 4 …”

Functional biodiversity and plasticity of methanogenic biomass from a full-scale mesophilic anaerobic digester treating nitrogen-rich agricultural wastes

“…The anaerobic digestion (AD) of organic materials is a well-consolidated technology for the treatment and revalorization of organic waste into renewable energy (methane from biogas), and contributes significantly to the sustainability of several industrial processes (Lettinga, 2010). However, a significant proportion of the organic waste generated by the agrifood sector contains relatively large amounts of nitrogenated compounds (i.e.…”