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The effect of Np-magnetite on the granulation process of an SBR reactor used for domestic wastewater treatment

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Abstract

This study investigated the effect of magnetite nanoparticles (Np-magnetite) added to a pilot-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) treating domestic wastewater, to improve aerobic granular sludge (AGS) formation and the effects of granule disintegration. Np-magnetite additions (75 mg L−1) were made during the start-up of the reactor and repeated after 100 and 170 days, when granule disintegration was observed. From the first Np-magnetite addition, SVI5 was reduced from 1315 to 85 mL g−1. The granular biomass was observed on the 56th day, when 57% of the granules presented diameters bigger than 212 µm. The 100-day disintegration episode disturbed the granular biomass, reducing the volatile suspended solids by 51%, increasing the SVI values to above 200 mL g−1. Np-magnetite addition recovered all the granular biomass parameters to the values observed before disintegration. The treatment efficiency was stable during operation of the reactor for nutrients (52.8 ± 23.4% NH4+–N; 54.5 ± 12.2% PO43−–P) and carbonaceous organic matter (71.7 ± 12.7% BOD5; 77.5 ± 10.0% CODt). Np-magnetite addition changed the microbial community of the granular sludge, analysed via high-throughput 16S RNA sequencing, and recovered the treatment efficiency previously disturbed by the disintegration processes. These results indicate the potential of Np-magnetite as an agent for sludge aggregation in an aerobic granular reactor.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to the Laboratory of Thermodynamics and Supercritical Technology; the Center of Analysis of the Department of Chemical Engineering; and the Central Laboratory of Electronic Microscopy, at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil for the characterization analyses.

Funding

This research was funded by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior –Brasil (CAPES) (Finance Code 001) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), in addition to internal funds from the Federal University of Santa Catarina.

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  1. Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina-UFSC, Florianópolis, 88040-970, Brazil

    Dayane Gonzaga Domingos, Nelson Libardi, Jéssica Antunes Xavier & Rejane Helena Ribeiro da Costa

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina-UFSC, Florianópolis, 88040-970, Brazil

    Rosana Oliveira Henriques

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  1. Dayane Gonzaga Domingos
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  2. Nelson Libardi
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Contributions

DCD conceptualization, experimental data, literature research, data analysis, and manuscript first draft; NLJ manuscript conceptualization and critical review; JAX critical review and data analysis; ROH data analysis; RHRC funding acquisition, methodology, project administration, resources, supervision, and critical review. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Dayane Gonzaga Domingos.

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Domingos, D.G., Libardi, N., Henriques, R.O. et al. The effect of Np-magnetite on the granulation process of an SBR reactor used for domestic wastewater treatment. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 44, 161–171 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-020-02432-3

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