Effect of air nanobubbles on oxygen transfer, oxygen uptake, and diversity of aerobic microbial consortium in activated sludge reactors

Sudheera Yaparatne, Zachary E. Doherty, Andre L. Magdaleno, Emily E. Matula, Jean D. MacRae, Sergi Garcia-Segura, Onur G. Apul

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

34 Scopus citations

Abstract

Nanobubbles have the potential to curtail the loss of oxygen during activated sludge aeration due to their extensive surface areas and lack of buoyance in solution. In this study, nanobubble aeration was explored as a novel approach to enhance aerobic activated sludge treatment and benchmarked against coarse bubble aeration at the lab scale. Nanobubble aerated activated sludge reactors achieved greater dissolved oxygen levels at faster rates. Higher soluble chemical oxygen demand removal by 10% was observed when compared to coarse bubble aeration with the same amount of air. The activated sludge produced compact sludge yielding easier waste sludge for subsequent sludge handling. The samples showed fewer filamentous bacteria with a lower relative abundance of floc forming Corynebacterium, Pseudomonas, and Zoogloea in the sludge. The microbiome of the nanobubble-treated activated sludge showed significant shifts in the abundance of community members at the genus level and significantly lower alpha and beta diversities.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number127090
JournalBioresource Technology
Volume351
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2022

Keywords

  • Aeration
  • Dissolved oxygen
  • Fine bubble
  • Microbial community
  • Wastewater treatment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Bioengineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • Waste Management and Disposal

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