Impact of the Biological Cotreatment of the Kalina Pond Leachate on Laboratory Sequencing Batch Reactor Operation and Activated Sludge Quality

Abstract

Hauling landfill leachate to offsite urban wastewater treatment plants is a way to achieve pollutant removal. However, the implementation of biological methods for the treatment of landfill leachate can be extremely challenging. This study aims to investigate the effect of blending wastewater with 3.5% and 5.5% of the industrial leachate from the Kalina pond (KPL) on the performance of sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and capacity of activated sludge microorganisms. The results showed that the removal efficiency of the chemical oxygen demand declined in the contaminated SBR from 100% to 69% and, subsequently, to 41% after the cotreatment with 3.5% and 5.5% of the pollutant. In parallel, the activities of the dehydrogenases and nonspecific esterases declined by 58% and 39%, and 79% and 81% after 32 days of the exposure of the SBR to 3.5% and 5.5% of the leachate, respectively. Furthermore, the presence of the KPL in the sewage affected the sludge microorganisms through a reduction in their functional capacity as well as a decrease in the percentages of the marker fatty acids for different microbial groups. A multifactorial analysis of the parameters relevant for the wastewater treatment process confirmed unambiguously the negative impact of the leachate on the operation, activity, and structure of the activated sludge.

Effects of Low Concentration of Selected Analgesics and Successive Bioaugmentation of the Activated Sludge on Its Activity and Metabolic Diversity

“…The autochthonous AS microorganisms increased utilization of phenolic compounds and those containing nitrogen, while carboxylic acids and carbohydrates were metabolized more intensively in the bioaugmented AS. The intensification of metabolism of phenolic compounds and those containing nitrogen by the AS microorganisms as the microbial response to the presence of harmful leachate from the Kalina pond (Świętochłowice, Poland) in wastewater was also observed by Michalska et al [16]. The authors assumed that the presence of the leachate in wastewater caused the metabolic specialization of the AS microorganisms with the simultaneous loss of the functionally significant microorganisms.…”

“…The microbial activity in the AS was assayed via the quantification of the dehydrogenases (DHA) [25], nonspecific esterases (NSEA) [26], and specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) [27]. The number of total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) in the AS was determined after their extraction from the sludge [16] and enumerated according to EN ISO 8199:2010 [28] ( Table 1). The part of the AS was sterilized (three times at 3 day intervals, 121 • C, 40 min) for further analysis.…”

“…Before the experiment, the AS was diluted with the synthetic wastewater (SW) medium with the following composition, g L −1 : 0.285 C 6 H 12 O 6 ; 0.69 CH 3 COONa; 0.145 NH 4 Cl; 0.06 KH 2 PO 4 ; 0.04 K 2 HPO 4 ; 0.069 NaCl; 0.026 CaCl 2 and 0.145 KCl [16] to obtain the initial concentration of the sludge biomass of 3.0 ± 0.5 g L −1 , which reflected the average concentration of microorganisms Water 2020, 12, 1133 4 of 22 desirable for the wastewater treatment process. The composition of the SW reflected the ratio of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in the effluents of the WWTP Klimzowiec.…”

“…The non-linear model described by the Verhulst equation with the four-parameter logistic function was used to calculate the specific rate of the increase in the microbial activity A(t) [16]:…”

Analysis of the Bioaugmentation Potential of Pseudomonas putida OR45a and Pseudomonas putida KB3 in the Sequencing Batch Reactors Fed with the Phenolic Landfill Leachate

“…The landfill leachate was taken from the bottom sediments of the Kalina Pond inŚwiętochłowice (Upper Silesia, Poland), which serves as the site for uncontrolled and arbitrary disposal of both municipal and industrial waste [12]. The sediment samples were collected in June 2018 at the point of discharge of effluents from the industrial waste dump to the reservoir at a distance of 2 m from the shore and at a depth of 2 m, following the EN ISO 5667-13:2011 [28] and EN ISO 19458:2007P [29].…”