The present research work was undertaken for the biological treatment of starch industry wastewater for pollution control. Starch industry effluent generates a large volume of wastewater with strong acidity and enormous carbon and nitrogen pollutants. In the present study, the development of low pH methanogens and anammox microorganisms were given special attention. Low pH methanogenic reactor and anammox reactor were fabricated for the biological treatment of corn starch industry effluent. In the first part of the work, low pH tolerant methanogens were isolated from peat bog of leaf debris.
It showed the presence of Gram-negative, non-spore forming, and cocci with creamish black colour colonies. The leaf debris inoculum was taken for optimum COD removal under anaerobic conditions.
Identification and isolation of anammox group of bacteria were performed using enrichment and 16S rRNA amplicon analysis. The objective of the study was to remove ammonia under the anaerobic condition from starch industry effluent. The media optimization using carbon and nitrogen source was undertaken which is required for anammox enrichment. The physical growth factors like temperature and pH were optimized. The optimized temperature and pH were 39 0C and 7.2 respectively. Some restrictive growth factors like salinity and antibiotic concentration were also studied which were found insignificant in our study.
Finally, the overall process was scaled up in the laboratory reactor. The reactor study revealed that in the anaerobic reactor 1.16 kg COD/kg VSS/d was removed producing 42-46% methane as output gas. The anammox reactor was able to reduce 82% nitrogen load from starch industry effluent at the rate of 1.5 kg/m3/d after 568 days of initiation.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Water- the basis of civilization
1.1.1. Water pollution control- the needs and necessities
1.1.1.1. Physical water treatment methods
1.1.1.2. Chemical water treatment methods
1.1.1.3. Biological water treatment methods
1.1.2. Regulation of water pollution
1.1.3. Wastewater- a good resource for energy recovery
1.1.4. Corn starch industry wastewater pollution
1.1.5. The current scenario in the treatment of corn starch wastewater
1.1.6. Problem statement and justification
1.1.7. The objective of this research
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Corn starch production and market statistics
2.2. Wastewater generation and characterization
2.3. Understanding the biologics of starch effluent
2.3.1. Overview of the anaerobic digestion process
2.3.2. Microbiology of anaerobic digestion process
2.3.3. Critical influential factors for anaerobic digestion process
2.3.3.1. Temperature
2.3.3.2. pH
2.3.3.3. Substrate characteristic
2.3.3.4. Loading rate
2.3.4. Review on anaerobic treatment technologies
2.3.5. Overview of the nitrogen removal process
2.3.5.1. The general concept of the nitrogen cycle
2.3.5.2. Nitrification
2.3.5.3. Denitrification
2.3.5.4. Anaerobic ammonium oxidation
2.3.5.5. Analysis of limitations of present technologies in nitrogenous waste treatment
2.3.5.6. Scope of new technologies for the effective treatment of starch industry effluent
3. CHAPTER 3: MATERIALS AND METHODS
3.1. Sample collection
3.2. Inoculum collection
3.2.1. Leaf debris sample
3.2.2. Anaerobic sludge sample
3.2.3. Cow dung sample
3.2.4. Anammox sample collection
3.3. Sample enrichment
3.4. Batch reactor setup
3.5. Continuous reactor set-up
3.6. Analytical methods
3.6.1. pH assessment
3.6.2. Temperature assessment
3.6.3. COD assessment
3.6.3.1. Reagent preparation
3.6.3.2. Procedure
3.6.3.3. Calibration
3.6.4. BOD assessment
3.6.4.1. Required reagents
3.6.4.2. Procedure
3.6.4.3. Calculation
3.6.5. Ammoniacal nitrogen assessment
3.6.5.1. Required reagents
3.6.5.2. Procedure
3.6.6. Nitrite- nitrogen assessment
3.6.6.1. Required reagents
3.6.6.2. Procedure
3.6.7. Nitrate assessment
3.6.7.1. Reagent preparation
3.6.7.2. Procedure
3.6.8. Total nitrogen assessment
3.6.8.1. Required reagents
3.6.8.2. Procedure
3.6.9. Phosphate assessment
3.6.9.1. Required reagents
3.6.9.2. Procedure
3.6.10. Sulfate assessment
3.6.10.1. Required reagents
3.6.10.2. Procedure
3.6.11. VFA assessment
3.6.11.1. Required reagents
3.6.11.2. Procedure
3.6.12. Biomass (as VSS) assessment
3.6.13. Biogas assessment
3.7. Research design
3.7.1. Screening of potential inoculum for anaerobic treatment of starch industry wastewater
3.7.2. Screening and confirmation of low pH tolerant methanogenic bacteria
3.7.3. Optimization of reduction potentiality of COD by leaf debris microflora
3.7.3.1. Optimization strategy
3.7.4. Optimization of methane production by leaf debris microflora from starch effluent
3.7.5. Screening of anammox activity by microflora isolated from different habitat
3.7.6. Screening of anammox bacteria by the 16S ampicon study
3.7.6.1. Isolation and qualitative and quantitative analysis of gDNA
3.7.6.2. Preparation of libraries for 2 x 250 bp Run Chemistry
3.7.6.3. Cluster Generation and Sequencing
3.7.6.4. Bioinformatics analysis
3.7.7. Enrichment of anammox biomass in a continuous reactor
3.7.8. Studies on the requirement of carbon source and its effect on anammox activity
3.7.9. Studies on the requirement of nitrogen source and its effect on anammox activity
3.7.10. Optimization of pH and temperature for optimal nitrogenous waste removal by anammox culture
3.7.11. Effect of salinity and antibiotic activity on reduction of nitrogenous waste and community interaction in anammox reactor
3.7.12. Development of novel acidophilic pilot scale methane bioreactor and anammox system for treatment of starch industry wastewater
4. CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
4.1. Enrichment of low pH tolerant methanogens and anammox bacteria from different natural resources
4.1.1. Screening of potential inoculum for anaerobic treatment of starch industry wastewater
4.1.1.1. Effect of leaf debris microflora for COD reduction and biomass increase
4.1.1.2. The response of anaerobic sludge microflora for COD reduction and biomass increase
4.1.1.3. The response of cow dung microflora for COD reduction and biomass increase
4.1.1.4. Selection of best potential biomass for inoculum preparation
4.1.2. Screening and confirmation of low pH tolerant methanogenic bacteria
4.1.3. Screening of anammox activity by microflora isolated from different habitat
4.1.3.1. Analysis of ammonia removal potentiality
4.1.3.2. Analysis of nitrite removal potentiality
4.1.3.3. Selection of biomass.
4.1.3.4. Confirmation of anammox bacteria by 16S amplicon studies
4.1.4. Enrichment of anammox biomass in a continuous reactor
4.1.4.1. Analysis of biological change during operation
4.1.4.2. Analysis of biological community and changes by 16S amplicon analysis
4.2. Studies on the effect of physicochemical parameters on the growth of enriched methanogen and anammox bacteria.
4.2.1. Optimization of COD reduction by leaf debris microflora
4.2.1.1. Evaluation of biomass generation
4.2.1.2. Sensitivity analysis
4.2.1.3. Process optimization
4.2.2. Studies on the requirement of carbon source by anammox bacteria
4.2.2.1. Estimation of limit of tolerance for carbon in media
4.2.3. Studies on requirement of nitrogen source by anammox bacteria
4.2.3.1. Effect of different salts of nitrogen on anammox
4.2.3.2. Effect of combination of different salts of nitrogen on anammox
4.2.3.3. Effect of ammonia concentration on anammox
4.2.3.4. Effect of nitrite concentration on anammox
4.2.4. Media optimization for anammox bacteria
4.2.5. Optimization of pH and temperature for anammox bacteria
4.2.5.1. Effect of pH and temperature on the removal of ammonia
4.2.5.2. Effect of pH and temperature on the removal of nitrite
4.2.5.3. Optimum point analysis for of nitrite removal
4.2.5.4. Optimization of the process
4.2.6. Effect of salinity on the growth of anammox bacteria
4.2.7. Effect of antibiotics on anammox activity
4.3. Studies on biodegradation of starch industry wastewater for pollution control using enriched species under optimized condition in shake flask
4.3.1. Optimization of methane production by leaf debris microflora
4.3.1.1. Effect of pH on COD reduction
4.3.1.2. Evaluation of COD removal potential by utilizing response surface methodology
4.3.1.3. Effect of pH on methane production
4.3.1.4. Optimization of process
4.4. Design and optimization of laboratory scale wastewater treatment system for treatment of carbonaceous and nitrogenous waste
4.4.1. Analysis of methane bioreactor
4.4.2. Analysis of anammox bioreactor
5. CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE OF WORK
5.1. Conclusion
5.2. Future scope of work
6. CHAPTER 6: REFERENCES
Research Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this research is to develop efficient biological treatment methods for corn starch industry wastewater, characterized by high carbonaceous and nitrogenous loads. The study focuses on isolating and enriching low-pH tolerant methanogenic bacteria and anammox microbial communities, optimizing environmental parameters such as pH, temperature, and nutrient loading, and designing a lab-scale integrated treatment system for effective pollution control and energy recovery.
- Enrichment and identification of acidophilic methanogens and anammox bacteria from natural sources.
- Optimization of physicochemical parameters using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for maximum pollutant removal.
- Biodegradation of starch wastewater in shake-flask and continuous reactor configurations.
- Evaluation of the influence of salinity and antibiotics on nitrogen removal efficiency and microbial community dynamics.
- Integration of anaerobic methanogenesis and anammox processes for combined carbon and nitrogen removal.
Book Excerpt
1.1. Water- the basis of civilization
Water is the basis of life and contributes about 75% of any biological system. Although, two thirds of the globe contains water, very less of it is potable [1]. In the history of human civilization, there is strong evidence of the role of water that promoted the peak development of most civilizations. Water security is always a key issue behind the development of civilization but has been downplayed in recent history, especially the post-industrial revolution [2]. Among the 97% water coverage of the earth, 97.6% is in the sea and cannot be used directly due to high salt content. The freshwater shares only 0.8% as groundwater and 0.1% as surface water. Also, about 1.5% of water is trapped in glaciers and polar ice reserves, which is now depleting at a rapid rate [3].
The pollution from the beginning of the 21st century became a severe concern for future due to continuous population growth, heavy industrialization, rapid urbanization, reducing forestland, food production practices, and poor water usage and wastewater management strategies [4]. The increasing deoxygenated dead zones in oceans across the globe is mainly due to the contribution of untreated water to river water bodies from various sources starting from municipal to industrial. The fourth world water development reported that only 20% of globally produced wastewater receives treatment before disposal to water 84% rural population bodies [5]. The problem is even severe with developing and underdeveloped countries which contributes only 8% treatment capacity against high-income countries (70%) [6]. The inadequate wastewater treatment system, loopholes in regulatory criteria, lack of awareness increasingly posing a higher risk of sustainability to human and other biotic health, wellbeing and economic activity [7].
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: This chapter establishes the critical need for effective wastewater treatment in the starch industry, detailing the environmental impact of water pollution and the potential for resource recovery through biological processes.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW: This section covers corn starch production, the characteristics of starch effluent, and existing biological treatment methods, including anaerobic digestion and the nitrogen cycle, with a specific focus on the anammox process.
3. CHAPTER 3: MATERIALS AND METHODS: This chapter details the experimental design, including sample collection from local starch industries, enrichment techniques for methanogens and anammox bacteria, reactor setup, and analytical procedures for assessing water quality parameters.
4. CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: This core section presents experimental findings on the enrichment of microbial consortia, statistical optimization of operational parameters using RSM, and the performance evaluation of lab-scale anaerobic and anammox bioreactors.
5. CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE OF WORK: This chapter synthesizes the main findings regarding the efficacy of the developed biological processes and outlines necessary future research to address operational challenges like reactor start-up times and onsite scaling.
6. CHAPTER 6: REFERENCES: This section provides a comprehensive list of all scientific literature and standards cited throughout the thesis.
Keywords
Starch industry, Wastewater treatment, Biological treatment, Anaerobic digestion, Anammox, Methanogens, COD reduction, Nitrogen removal, Biogas, Acidophilic, Response Surface Methodology, Wastewater characterization, Sustainable management, Microbial community, Pollution control
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research primarily focuses on developing biological treatment strategies for highly acidic, high-load wastewater generated by the corn starch industry to achieve pollution control and energy recovery.
What are the primary themes addressed?
The key themes include the isolation of low-pH tolerant microorganisms, the implementation of anaerobic digestion for carbon removal, the application of anammox technology for nitrogen removal, and the statistical optimization of treatment processes.
What is the primary objective of this thesis?
The main objective is to enrich suitable microbial communities, optimize their growth conditions (such as pH, temperature, and carbon/nitrogen sources), and design a lab-scale bioreactor system for treating industrial starch wastewater.
Which scientific methods were employed?
The study utilizes analytical biochemistry for pollution assessment, microbial enrichment techniques, molecular tools such as 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing for community identification, and statistical modeling via Response Surface Methodology (RSM) for process optimization.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section, Chapter 4, documents the screening and enrichment of robust microbial strains, the analysis of biological responses to varying physicochemical conditions, and the evaluation of lab-scale reactor efficiency.
Which keywords best describe this study?
Key terms include starch industry effluent, biological treatment, anaerobic digestion, anammox, methanogens, COD reduction, nitrogen removal, biogas production, and Response Surface Methodology.
How does this study address the acidity of starch wastewater?
The study specifically isolates and utilizes acidophilic methanogenic bacteria from natural habitats, which allows for effective treatment under acidic conditions, thereby avoiding the costly neutralization step required in conventional processes.
What is the role of anammox in this research?
Anammox bacteria are utilized in the study to specifically target the efficient removal of ammonia and nitrogenous compounds from the industrial effluent in an anoxic environment, offering a more cost-effective and energy-efficient alternative to traditional nitrification-denitrification methods.
- Quote paper
- Shubhaneel Neogi (Author), 2020, Studies on the Biological Treatment of Wastewater from Starch Industry for Pollution Control, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/539848
