| 1. |
- Björn (Fredriksson), Annika, 1972-, et al.
(författare)
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Feasibility of OFMSW co-digestion with sewage sludge for increasing biogas production at wastewater treatment plants
- 2017
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Ingår i: Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration. - : Springer. - 2365-6433 .- 2365-7448. ; 2:21
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sweden has the ambition to increase its annual biogas production from the current level of 1.9 to 15 TWh by 2030. The unused capacity of existing anaerobic digesters at wastewater treatment plants is among the options to accomplish this goal. This study investigated the feasibility of utilizing the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) as a co-substrate, with primary and waste-activated sewage sludge (PWASS) for production of biogas, corresponding to 3:1 ratio on volatile solid (VS) basis. The results demonstrated that co-digestion of OFMSW with PWASS at an organic loading rate of 5 gVS l−1 day−1 has the potential to increase the biogas production approximately four times. The daily biogas production increased from 1.0 ± 0.1 to 3.8 ± 0.3 l biogasl−1 day−1, corresponding to a specific methane production of 420 ± 30 Nml methane gVS−1 during the laboratory experiment. Co-digestion of OFMSW with PWASS showed a 50:50 distribution of hydrogenotrophic and aceticlastic methanogens in the digester and enhanced the turnover kinetics of intermediate products (acetate, propionate, and oleate). Practical limitations potentially include the need for sludge dewatering to maintain a sufficient hydraulic retention time (17 days in this study), as well as additional energy consumption for mixing due to an increased sludge apparent viscosity (from 1.8 ± 0.1 to 45 ± 4.8 mPa*s in this study) at elevated OFMSW-loading rates.
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| 2. |
- Ekstrand, Eva-Maria, 1985-
(författare)
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Anaerobic digestion in the kraft pulp and paper industry : Challenges and possibilities for implementation
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The pulp and paper industry is a large producer of wastewater and sludge, putting high pressure on waste treatment. In addition, more rigorous environmental legislation for pollution control and demands to increase the use of renewable energy have put further pressure on the pulp and paper industry’s waste treatment, where anaerobic digestion (AD) and the production of methane could pose a solution. Kraft pulping makes up 80% of the world production of virgin wood pulp, thus, the wastewaters from this sector represent a large unused potential for methane production.There are three main types of substrates available for AD at pulp and paper mills, the wastewaters, the primary sludge/fibre sludge, and the waste activated sludge. AD treatment of these streams has been associated with several challenges, such as the presence of inhibiting compounds or low degradability during AD. The aim of this thesis was to experimentally address these challenges and potentials, focusing on wastes from kraft mills.Methane potential batch tests showed that many wastewater streams still posed challenges to AD, but the alkaline elemental chlorine-free bleaching stream and the condensate effluents had good methane potentials. Further, the methane potential of kraft mill fibre sludge was high, and co-digestion of kraft mill fibre sludge and waste activated sludge was feasible in stirred tank reactors with sludge recirculation. By increasing the organic loading in a pilot-scale activated sludge facility and thereby lowering the sludge age, the degradability of the waste activated sludge was improved. The higher wastewater treatment capacity achieved by this method provides an opportunity for the mills to increase their pulp and paper production. Further, by dewatering the digestate after AD and returning the liquid to the activated sludge treatment, costs for nutrient supplementation can be reduced.In conclusion, the thesis shows that AD of wastes from the kraft pulp and paper industry was feasible and carried many benefits regarding the generation of methane as a renewable energy carrier, improved wastewater treatment and reduced costs. Different strategies on how AD may be implemented in the kraft pulp and paper industry were formulated and discussed.
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| 5. |
- Ekstrand, Eva-Maria, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Methane potentials and organic matter characterization of wood fibres from pulp and paper mills : The influence of raw material, pulping process and bleaching technique
- 2020
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Ingår i: Biomass and Bioenergy. - : Elsevier. - 0961-9534 .- 1873-2909. ; 143
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the process of pulp- and papermaking, large volumes of fibre-rich primary sludge are generated. Anaerobic digestion of primary sludge offers a substantial potential for methane production as an alternative approach to the inefficient energy recoveries by commonly used incineration techniques. However, a systematic study of the importance of upstream process techniques for the methane potential of pulp fibres is lacking. Therefore, biochemical methane potentials were determined at mesophilic conditions for 20 types of fibres processed by a variety of pulping and bleaching techniques and from different raw materials. This included fibres from kraft, sulphite, semi-chemical, chemical thermo-mechanical (CTMP) and thermo-mechanical pulping plants and milled raw wood. The pulping technique was clearly important for the methane potential, with the highest potential achieved for kraft and sulphite fibres (390–400 Nml CH4 g VS−1). For raw wood and CTMP, hardwood fibres gave substantially more methane than the corresponding softwood fibres (240 compared to 50 Nml CH4 g VS−1 and 300 compared to 160 Nml CH4 g VS−1, respectively). Nuclear magnetic resonance characterization of the organic content demonstrated that the relative lignin content of the fibres was an important factor for methane production, and that an observed positive effect of bleaching on the methane potential of softwood CTMP fibres was likely related to a higher degree of deacetylation and improved accessibility of the hemicellulose. In conclusion, fibres from kraft and sulphite pulping are promising substrates for methane production irrespective of raw material or bleaching, as well as fibres from CTMP pulping of hardwood.
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| 6. |
- Ekstrand, Eva-Maria, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Viscosity dynamics during anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper mill fibre sludge – the dependency on extracellular polymeric substances and soluble microbial products
- 2018
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increased viscosity and the presence of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and soluble microbial products (SMP) are important factors that may negatively affect wastewater treatment processes, e.g. foaming, inefficient mixing or poor dewatering. Many industries, including the pulp and paper industry, are running their production processes at shifting conditions, leading to large variations in wastewater composition to downstream treatments. The aim of this study was to investigate how changes in organic loading rate (OLR) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) affect the viscosity and production of EPS and SMP during anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper mill sludge. Two lab-scale continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) were operated for 800 days at 37⁰C. The OLR was increased and the HRT was decreased in steps. Reactor fluid was sampled once a month for rheological characterization and analysis of EPS and SMP.Our results demonstrated a clear positive correlation between viscosity and the production of EPS and SMP. OLR, magnesium and potassium were important for EPS and SMP formation and the protein fraction of SMP was negatively correlated to HRT and sludge retention time. The production of EPS and SMP was important in foam formation and sludge bulking, either directly through their surface-active properties, or indirectly by increasing the viscosity. Sludge bulking was avoided by more frequent mixing. In conclusion, rheological measurements and estimates of EPS and SMP contents could prove valuable tools to avoid the severe consequences of sludge bulking and foaming in full-scale applications.
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| 7. |
- Hörsing, Maritha, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of Temperature and Landfill Ageing on leaching and Degradation of Phtalates from a Poly(vinyl chloride) Carpet under Simulated Landfill Conditions
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Phthalic ether esters are a group of chemicals used in the manufacture of PVC plastics, often as plasticizing additives, hence they may leach from the material and/or finished products before, during and after their use. This article presents results from laboratory-scale investigations of the fates of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and benzyl-butyl phthalate (BBP) under simulated landfill conditions, in custom-designed incubation units filled with model municipal solid waste. More specifically, the effects of temperature and landfill degradation phase on both the leaching and degradation potential of the two phthalates from a PVC carpet were examined, by measuring them in samples from units maintained at 20, 37, 55 and 70°C as they progressed through anaerobic acidogenic and methanogenic landfill phases. The results show that both BBP and DEHP leached from the carpet. For DEHP there was a clear temperature effect, and the highest losses were observed at 70°C, while for BBP slight increases in losses with temperature were observed from 20 to 55°C, and from 55 to 70°C, but the largest losses were seen at 37°C, probably due to biodegradation. Further degradation of the leached phthalates occured at all temperatures. Apparent degradation products observed included phthalic acid (PA) and mono (2-ethylhexyl)-, monobutyl- and monobenzyl-phthalate. In all cases the biological degradation of the phthalates occurred mainly after the systems switched to methanogenic conditions. The rate-limiting step of degradation in the 20 and 37°C units seemed to be the transformation of the monoesters, which tended to accumulate more than PA, while at 55 and 70°C PA accumulated to a higher extent.
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| 8. |
- Hörsing, Maritha, 1970-, et al.
(författare)
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Leaching of Flame Retardants from products deposited in Landfills
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Materials in many products in daily use are amended with chemicals to give them desired properties, e.g. flame retardants (FRs) used to reduce the risks of products catching fire. However, potential risks posed by some of these chemicals, including FRs, to the environment and human health have raised concerns. Hence, there is a need for more knowledge regarding the fate of FRs, notably in landfills, where many FR-containing products are deposited. This article presents analyses of FRs and derivatives in leachates sampled during laboratory-scale simulations of landfills containing various FR-containing products progressing through typical landfill ageing phases. The FRs represented substances used both reactively, i.e. bound to the flame-protected material and additively, i.e. without any covalent bonding to the product.The phosphorus-based Pyrovatex-FR and the brominated tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) were used to represent the reactive FRs, and the nitrogen-based melamine and phosphorus-based FR of Proban the additive FRs. Residual FRs from the treatment of the materials were probably the main contributors to the leachates from all products. Their durability, i.e. ability to withstand laundry washes, was reflected in their leaching abilities, while the different landfill conditions were of minor importance, except for melamine (of which approximately 10% of the amount present in the test product leached and mineralised to carbon dioxide and ammonia, mainly during the period when the landfill models passed from acidogenic to methanogenic conditions). The other additively applied FR in Proban leached first during the later part of the incubation (between 80 and 112 weeks), in accordance with its laundry resistance. Substantial proportions of the residual chemicals in Pyrovatex-treated materials are generally lost during the first washing. Accordingly, early losses of the chemicals used in this treatment were detected during the landfill simulation. Elevated phosphate concentrations were also detected in simulations with the Pyrovatex- and Proban-treated products, suggesting that the FRs generated in these treatments were degraded during or after release to the leachate. Small amounts of TBBPA were observed at the end of the incubation, and no TBBPA degradation products were observed, but debromination (which is likely to occur during anoxic stages) would lead to the formation of bisphenol A.
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| 9. |
- Ometto, F., et al.
(författare)
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Inclusion of Saccharina latissima in conventional anaerobic digestion systems
- 2018
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Ingår i: Environmental technology. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0959-3330 .- 1479-487X. ; 39:5, s. 628-639
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Loading macroalgae into existing anaerobic digestion (AD) plants allows us to overcome challenges such as low digestion efficiencies, trace elements limitation, excessive salinity levels and accumulation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), observed while digesting algae as a single substrate. In this work, the co-digestion of the brown macroalgae Saccharina latissima with mixed municipal wastewater sludge (WWS) was investigated in mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. The hydraulic retention time (HRT) and the organic loading rate (OLR) were fixed at 19 days and 2.1 g l-1 d-1of volatile solids (VS), respectively. Initially, WWS was digested alone. Subsequently, a percentage of the total OLR (20%, 50% and finally 80%) was replaced by S. latissima biomass. Optimal digestion conditions were observed at medium-low algae loading (=50% of total OLR) with an average methane yield close to [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, respectively. The conductivity values increased with the algae loading without inhibiting the digestion process. The viscosities of the reactor sludges revealed decreasing values with reduced WWS loading at both temperatures, enhancing mixing properties.
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| 10. |
- Robroek, Bjorn J. M., et al.
(författare)
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Rewiring of peatland plant–microbe networks outpaces species turnover
- 2021
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Ingår i: Oikos. - : Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Inc.. - 0030-1299 .- 1600-0706. ; 130:3, s. 339-353
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Enviro‐climatic changes are thought to be causing alterations in ecosystem processes through shifts in plant and microbial communities; however, how links between plant and microbial communities change with enviro–climatic change is likely to be less straightforward but may be fundamental for many ecological processes. To address this, we assessed the composition of the plant community and the prokaryotic community – using amplicon‐based sequencing – of three European peatlands that were distinct in enviro–climatic conditions. Bipartite networks were used to construct site‐specific plant–prokaryote co‐occurrence networks. Our data show that between sites, plant and prokaryotic communities differ and that turnover in interactions between the communities was complex. Essentially, turnover in plant–microbial interactions is much faster than turnover in the respective communities. Our findings suggest that network rewiring does largely result from novel or different interactions between species common to all realised networks. Hence, turnover in network composition is largely driven by the establishment of new interactions between a core community of plants and microorganisms that are shared among all sites. Taken together our results indicate that plant–microbe associations are context dependent, and that changes in enviro–climatic conditions will likely lead to network rewiring. Integrating turnover in plant–microbe interactions into studies that assess the impact of enviro–climatic change on peatland ecosystems is essential to understand ecosystem dynamics and must be combined with studies on the impact of these changes on ecosystem processes.
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