Skip to content
Research Article Open access CC BY 4.0

Performance of an UASB Reactor at Lab-Scale Treating Domestic Wastewater with Low Concentrations of Copper

Icela Dagmar Barceló-Quintal, Mónica Liliana Salazar-Peláez, Julisa García-Albortante, María Teresa Garza-González

Current Journal of Applied Science and Technology · pp. 456–466 · Published 26 Feb 2015

10.9734/BJAST/2015/15219

Abstract

Aims: The objective was to investigate the effect of copper at low concentrations in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor performance under continuous conditions and its geochemical distribution in anaerobic sludge through sequential extraction. Study Design: Continuous operation. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Basic Science, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana -Azcapotzalco, between July 2013 and December 2013. Methodology: A lab scale UASB reactor was inoculated with sludge from a full-scale UASB reactor treating brewery wastewater and it was allowed to acclimate during two months. After acclimation period, three different copper concentrations were added to UASB influent: 0.25, 0.65 and 1.35 mg l-1, during one month each one. At the end of the experiment, freeze-dried samples of inoculum and UASB reactor sludge were treated with a series of solvents to perform sequential extractions. pH, temperature, oxidation reduction potential (ORP), total chemical oxygen demand (COD), the ratio between partial and total alkalinity, total suspended solids and volatile suspended solids were measured in UASB reactor influent and effluent. Results: Sequential extractions showed that the fraction with the major affinity with copper was organic/sulfide bound, with a percentage distribution of 96%. Regarding UASB performance, copper caused a total alkalinity diminution in the effluent; however, the system buffer capacity was enough to overcome such instability, as partial alkalinity/total alkalinity ratio results confirmed. COD removal decreased 15% when 1.35 mg l-1 Cu was added in comparison to acclimation period. Conclusion: Copper addition in UASB reactor influent at low concentrations affected adversely its performance; though, did not cause complete inhibition to anaerobic microorganisms. Metal speciation results in the inoculum and the UASB reactor evidenced that the fraction which had the major affinity with copper was the organically/sulfide bound fraction, however, further studies are needed to establish which is the weight of organic matter and sulfide in copper binding.

Anaerobic inoculum copper geochemical distribution copper toxic effects UASB sludge

References (34)

  1. 1 Chemical sequential extraction for metal partitioning in environmental solid samples. [DOI]
  2. 2 Relevance of microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) - Part I: Structural and ecological aspects [DOI]
  3. 3 Chemical influences on trace metal-sulfide interactions in anoxic sediments [DOI]
  4. 4 Toxicants inhibiting anaerobic digestion: A review [DOI]
  5. 5 Anaerobic Sewage Treatment: A Practical Guide for Regions with a Hot Climate
  6. 6 Methanogenic and non-methanogenic activity tests. Theoretical basis and experimental set up [DOI]
  7. 7 Simple and sequential extractions of heavy metals from different sewage sludges [DOI]
  8. 8 Comparative study of six different sludges by sequential speciation of heavy metals [DOI]
  9. 9 Toxicity of copper(II) ions to microorganisms in biological wastewater treatment systems [DOI]
  10. 10 The structure of amorphous copper sulfide precipitates: An X-ray absorption study [DOI]
  11. 11 Metal supplementation to UASB bioreactors: from cell-metal interactions to full-scale application [DOI]
  12. 12 Inhibition of anaerobic wastewater treatment after long-term exposure to low levels of CuO nanoparticles [DOI]
  13. 13 Copper accumulation by sulfate-reducing bacterial biofilms [DOI]
  14. 14 Comparison of three sequential extraction procedures to describe metal fractionation in anaerobic granular sludges [DOI]
  15. 15 Inhibition of methane production from whey by heavy metals - protective effect of sulfide [DOI]
  16. 16 Lead contamination in tea garden soils and factors affecting its bioavailability [DOI]
  17. 17 Cell biomass and exopolymer composition in sewer biofilms [DOI]
  18. 18 Effect of heavy metals on volatile fatty acid degradation in anaerobic digestion [DOI]
  19. 19 Effect of heavy metals on the methanogenic UASB granule [DOI]
  20. 20 Sequential extraction of anaerobic digestate sludge for the determination of partitioning of heavy metals [DOI]
  21. 21 Investigation of biosorption of Cu(II), Ni(II) and Cr(VI) ions to activated sludge bacteria [DOI]
  22. 22 Toxicity of copper to acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic activities of methanogens and sulfate reducers in anaerobic sludge [DOI]
  23. 23 Effect of pH on cadmium and lead binding by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) extracted from environmental bacterial strains [DOI]
  24. 24 Granular sludge in full-scale anaerobic bioreactors: Trace element content and deficiencies [DOI]
  25. 25 Bioavailability and Toxicity of Metal Nutrients during Anaerobic Digestion [DOI]
  26. 26 Study of fractionation and potential mobility of metal in sludge from pyrite mining and affected river sediments: changes in mobility over time and use of artificial ageing as a tool in environmental impact assessment [DOI]
  27. 27 Methanogenesis and sulfate reduction in chemostats—I. Kinetic studies and experiments [DOI]
  28. 28 Nitrate and nitrite inhibition of methanogenesis during denitrification in granular biofilms and digested domestic sludges [DOI]
  29. 29 Bonding Form Analysis of Metals and Sulfur Fractionation in Methanol‐Grown Anaerobic Granular Sludge [DOI]
  30. 30 Adsorption of trace elements on pyrite surfaces in sulfidic mine tailings from Kristineberg (Sweden) a few years after remediation [DOI]
  31. 31 Chemical extraction of heavy metals in polluted river sediments in central Europe [DOI]
  32. 32 Effect of recycle-to-influent ratio on activities of nitrifiers and denitrifiers in a combined UASB–activated sludge reactor system [DOI]
  33. 33 The effect of heavy metals on a thermophilic methanogenic upflow sludge blanket reactor [DOI]
  34. 34 Simultaneous Bioenergy (CH4) Production and Nitrogen Removal in a Combined Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket and Aerobic Membrane Bioreactor [DOI]

Cited by 13

Investigation of Heavy Metal Effects on the Anaerobic Co-Digestion Process of Waste Activated Sludge and Septic Tank Sludge

Quang-Minh Nguyen, Duy-Cam Bui, Thao Phuong · International Journal of Chemical Engineering · 2019

Evaluation of the effect of copper on the restart of a novel combined two‐stage anaerobic digester

S. Mariraj Mohan, T. Swathi · Water and Environment Journal · 2023

Effects of copper and zinc on the anaerobic co-digestion process of waste activated sludge and septic tank sludge

Duy-Cam Bui, Quang-Minh Nguyen, Xuan-Quang Chu · Desalination and Water Treatment · 2020

Showing 6 of 13 known citations — external sources report more than can currently be individually listed.

Article metrics

Real usage data collected on this platform.

31

Page views

0

PDF downloads

13

Outbound clicks

13

Citations

Views over time

Views by country

Approximate, from request IP at view time — not citizenship or institution. Countries with fewer than 5 views are grouped as "Other".

Traffic sources

Referring site, by host.

Views and downloads exclude known bots/crawlers. Citations combines this platform's own DOI-resolved index with each external source's own reported total — see Cited by above for individually listed citing works. Last refreshed 0 seconds ago.