ABSTRACT The progression of the organic loading rate (OLR) up to a certain limit increases biogas production. The limit and operation range vary according to the configuration of the reactor and are associated with other variables that generate different results with respect to biogas yield (BY) and biogas productiveness (BP). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the OLR on the BY and BP from swine manure in continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) and upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors (UASBs). In the assay with the CSTR, the best operational condition was at an OLR of 0.7 gVS add L−1 reactor d−1 and a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 18 days. At this operational condition, 0.8 LN biogas gVS add−1 of BY and 0.6 LN biogas L−1 reactor d−1 of BP were obtained. In the assay with the UASB, the best operational condition was at an OLR of 2.2 gVS add L−1 reactor d−1 and an HRT of two days, and 0.7 LN biogas gvs add−1 of BY and 1.6 LN biogas L−1 reactor d−1 of BP were obtained. The results demonstrate the effects of OLR changes on the biogas production in the CSTR and UASB, avoiding the underutilization or overloading of such equipment and enabling collaboration in projects for power generation from biogas in swine farms.

Resumo Os efluentes dos sistemas de produção de animais confinados (SPACs), se não tratados adequadamente antes do descarte, podem interferir significativamente no balanço natural do nitrogênio no meio ambiente. Nesse trabalho, um sistema Lutzak-Ettinger modificado (MLE), consistindo de dois reatores sequenciais, um pré-desnitrificante (RD) e um nitrificante (RN), foi utilizado para determinar os efeitos da carga de alimentação e o tempo de retenção hidráulico (TRH), na remoção simultânea de nitrogênio total (NT) e carbono orgânico total (COT) de efluentes da suinocultura. O sistema MLE foi alimentado com efluente da suinocultura por 205 dias, usando diferentes razões de recirculação (Rr) e TRH. Foram obtidas eficiências de remoção de NT e COT (90,7% e 96,1%, respectivamente) com a recirculação do meio do RN (4.5:1) combinado com o lodo do decantador final (1:1). Essas eficiências foram obtidas com TRH de 3,5 dias e cargas de alimentação de 0,56 gNT L-1 d-1 e 2,15 g TOC L-1 d-1. Concluiu-se que o processo MLE se demonstrou robusto, resistindo a grandes variações na composição físico-química do efluente de alimentação e nas condições de operação, sem sofrer impacto importante nas eficiências de remoção de NT e COT.

Abstract Wastewater from confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) can interfere significantly with the natural nitrogen and phosphorus balance in the environment if not treated adequately prior to disposal. In this work, a modified Lutzak-Ettinger (MLE) consisting of sequential pre-denitrification/ nitrification was used to determine the effects of nutrient loading rates and hydraulic retention times (HRT) on total nitrogen (TN) and organic carbon (TOC) removal from swine wastewater. MLE reactor was continuously fed swine wastewater for over 205 days using different recycle ratios (Rr) and HRT. Higher TN and TOC removal efficiencies (90.7% and 96.1%, respectively) were obtained when recycling effluent from the nitrification tank (4.5:1) combined with effluent from the final clarifier (1:1). Removal efficiencies of 96% for TOC and 90% for TN were obtained for the maximum loading rates of 0.56 gTN L-1 d-1 and 2.15 g TOC L-1 d-1, respectively. TN and TOC removal rates were achieved with HRT in as little as 3.5 days. Overall, MLE was a robust bioprocess withstanding variations in wastewater physical-chemical composition and/or changes in operational conditions without significant impairment of N and TOC removal efficiencies.

ABSTRACT The swine industry has been presented strong growth and thus is producing large volumes of effluents that must be correctly management. Nitritation/denitritation process can be used to improve system performance, saving the energy cost with aeration and with the external source of carbon due to the lower C/N requirement. The aim of this study was to evaluate swine wastewater Nitrification/Denitrification (NDF) and Nitritation/denitritation (NDT) processes at different C/N ratios, using the Modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) process, in order to obtain a system with efficient nitrogen removal and low oxygen and carbon consumption. Four phases were conducted during the experiment: Phase I) DO between 2.0-3.0 mg L−1 of O2 and C/N 1.5 (NDF); Phase II) DO between 0.6-0.7 mg L−1 of O2 and C/N 1.5 (NDT); Phase III) DO between 0.6-0.7 mg L−1 of O2, C / N ratios of1.5, 0.9, 0.75 and 0.6 (NDT); Phase IV) DO between 2.0-3.0 mg L−1 of O2, C/N ratios of 1.5, 0.9, 0.75, and 0.6 (NDF). The best operational condition was found in the C / N ratio of 0.9 (Phase III) obtaining an optimum N removal of 86.3%. In this condition, the system saved around 26.8% in total organic carbon consumption and operated at conditions of 74% lower dissolved oxygen when compared to conventional process for N-removal. This strategy can be very useful for nitrogen removal for low carbon swine wastewater as digestate from anaerobic processes.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to monitor the stabilization of a sequential batch reactor (SBR) regarding the partial nitritation of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater, aiming at preparing it for a reactor with bacteria that promote anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox). A cylindrical reactor with a useful volume of 3.5 L, mechanical agitation (50 rpm), and suspended biomass was used in the experiment. The strategies adopted for nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) inhibition were cycle time (CT: 24, 16, 6, 5, 4 h and real-time monitoring), free ammonia accumulation, alkalinity restriction and low concentrations of dissolved oxygen (DO). The ammonification process, observed at all experimental phases, negatively influenced the control of partial nitritation process. Alkalinity restriction under low cycle times (4 and 5 h) conditions, together with low dissolved oxygen concentration, was a key factor for nitrite-oxidizing bacteria inhibition. Stability of partial nitritation was only reached by real-time monitoring, being the cycles stopped when 50% N–NH4+ and 50% N–NO2− were present in the reactor.

ABSTRACT Anaerobic biodigestion is an appropriate alternative for the treatment of swine wastewater due to its biogas generation properties and the possibility of its application as a source of energy for heating or electricity. However, digestate can still contain high levels of turbidity, organic carbon and nutrients and must be correctly managed as a biofertilizer, or treated to avoid any impact on the environment. Considering this, electrocoagulation (EC) shows promise as a technology because of its ease of handling and high efficiency in effluent remediation. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of EC in a batch system in the treatment of swine wastewater digestate. The wastewater used in the treatment was sampled from a 10 m3 biodigestor effluent (digestate) located at Concórdia, Santa Catarina, Brazil. A batch-scale experiment was carried out to evaluate the following two variables: electrode distance (ED) and voltage applied (V). The removal efficiency levels (%) for the best operational condition (2 cm, 5 V) after 30 min were: 97 %, 98 %, 77 % and 10 % for color, turbidity, total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN), respectively. The EC batch system produced efficient results, underlining its promise as an alternative to be applied in the treatment of digestate.

RESUMO A presença de nitrogênio amoniacal total - NAT (NH3 + NH4+) em águas residuárias é motivo de preocupação ambiental devido a seus impactos negativos sobre o ar, solo e água. Várias tecnologias estão disponíveis para remoção de NAT. Uma tecnologia emergente é a utilização de membrana hidrofóbica para extração de NH3. Neste trabalho, os autores discutem o uso de membranas permeáveis a gases (MPG) e suas características físico-químicas que influenciam a taxa de transferência de massa do gás, bem como a difusão e os mecanismos de recuperação de NH3 de efluentes (por exemplo, águas residuárias animais). Vários aspectos envolvendo a extração de NH3 de dejetos líquidos e de outras fontes de geração de NAT, usando a tecnologia MPG, bem como sua aplicabilidade para recuperação de NH3, com vistas à potencial aplicação como fonte de nitrogênio para uso como fertilizantes também são discutidos nesta revisão.

ABSTRACT Total Ammoniacal Nitrogen - TAN (NH3 + NH4+) in wastewaters cause environmental degradation concerns due to their negative impacts on air, soil and water. Several technologies are available for TAN removal from the wastewaters. One emerging technology is the use of hydrophobic membrane as non-destructive NH3 extraction. In this paper the authors discuss the uses of gas permeable membrane (GPM) and its physicochemical characteristics that influence gas mass transfer rate, diffusion and recovery mechanisms of NH3 from liquid sources (e.g. animal wastewater). Several aspects of NH3 extraction from liquid manure and other TAN generation sources using GPM technology as well as its applicability for NH3 mitigation from liquid effluents and possible recovery as a nutrient for plant growth are also discussed in this review.

A suinocultura industrial tem como característica a geração de significativas quantidades de efluente que necessitam de tratamento. O processo de biodigestão anaeróbia surge como uma alternativa importante, de baixo custo para o tratamento e eficiente na redução da matéria orgânica das águas residuárias da suinocultura. Porém os processos anaeróbios têm sua eficiência limitada, entre muitos aspectos, pela concentração de sólidos voláteis no biodigestor e sua capacidade de mineralização da matéria orgânica em função do tempo de retenção hidráulica. Diante disso, o presente estudo teve por objetivo verificar o comportamento de um biodigestor anaeróbio de fluxo ascendente, alimentado com dejetos de suínos, mediante progressão de carga de sólidos voláteis. O estudo foi realizado em três etapas, utilizando-se como parâmetro de sólidos voláteis a 0,5; 1,0 e 1,5 kgSV m-3 d-1, respectivamente. Este modelo de biodigestor mostrou ser bastante eficaz e robusto no tratamento de efluentes da suinocultura, atingindo boa eficiência na remoção de sólidos voláteis em todas as etapas do trabalho (etapa 1: 61,38%, etapa 2: 55,18% e etapa 3: 43,18%). A produção de biogás teve relação direta com o aumento da carga orgânica, atingindo 0,14; 0,85 e 0,86 Nm³ kgSVadic., respectivamente, não havendo diferença significativa (p<0,05) na porcentagem de metano no biogás entre elas (73,7; 75,0 e 77,9%).

The industrial swine production is characterized by generation of significant effluent amounts that require treatment. The most adopted practices by Brazilian swine farmers have been wastewater storage in lagoons and its subsequent use as a biofertilizer. Nutrient accumulation in soil and water creates the need for an effective management of these residues. The anaerobic digestion process is an important alternative and low-cost treatment for organic matter reduction. However, its efficiency is limited by the digester capacity of solid degradation, especially at low hydraulic retention times. Thus, the present study aimed to verify the behavior of an upflow anaerobic digester by increasing the organic loading rate. This was accomplished in three stages using, as a parameter, volatile solids at 0.5; 1.0 and 1.5 kgVS m-3 d-1, respectively. This digester model proved to be quite robust and effective in swine manure treatment, achieving high efficiency of volatile solid removal at all stages of the study (stage 1: 61.38%; stage 2: 55.18%; and stage 3: 43.18%). Biogas production was directly related to the increasing organic load, reaching 0.14, 0.85, and 0.86 Nm³ kgVS-1add., respectively, with no significant difference (p<0.05) of biogas methane concentration among the studied stages (73.7, 75.0, and 77.9%).

O uso agrícola de dejetos suínos é uma prática comum no Brasil. Suas características físico-químicas favorecem seu aproveitamento como biofertilizante, porém a presença de patógenos pode representar um risco à saúde humana. Este trabalho apresenta um estudo qualitativo das principais alternativas de desinfecção de dejetos suínos, analisando eficiência, vantagens e limitações de cada procedimento. Os estudos de desinfecção reportados na literatura são baseados nos seguintes tratamentos: alcalino, térmico, biológico, químico e físico. As maiores eficiências de redução de patógenos estão no tratamento térmico (>4 log: 60 °C), tratamento químico (3 a 4 log: 30 mg Cl- L-1; 3 a 4 log: 40 mg O3 L-1) e tratamento físico (3 a 4 log: 220 mJ radiação UV cm-2). O tratamento biológico (anaerobiose)também promove a redução de patógenos em dejetos suínos, porém com menor eficiência (1 a 2 log). A seleção do tratamento deve considerar: custo de implantação e operação, necessidade de tratamento preliminar, eficiência obtida e o destino do dejeto tratado (uso agrícola, reúso de água). A legislação brasileira não define diretrizes específicas de qualidade microbiológica dos efluentes da produção animal, o que rapidamente precisa ser estabelecido devido às transformações que a atividade tem sofrido nos últimos anos no País.

Swine manure agricultural use is a common practice in Brazil. Their physic-chemical characteristics favor its use as biofertilizer, but the presence of pathogens may become a risk to human health. This research presents a qualitative study of the main alternatives of pig manure disinfection, analyzing efficiency, advantages and limitations of each procedure. The disinfection studies reported in literature are based on the following treatments: alkaline, thermal, biological, chemical, and physical. The greater efficiencies are in thermal treatment (> 4 log: 60 °C), chemical treatment (3 to 4 log: 30mg Cl- L-1; 3 to 4 log: 40 mg O3 L-1) and physical treatment (3 a 4 log: 220 mJ UV radiation cm-2). The biological treatment (anaerobiosis) also promotes the pathogen reduction of swine manure, however with lower efficiency (1 to 2 log). The selection of the treatment should consider: implementation and operation cost, necessity of preliminary treatment, efficiency obtained and destination of the treated manure (agricultural use, water reuse). Brazilian regulation does not have specific guidelines for the microbiological quality of animal production effluents that is very important to be considered due to confined animal feeding operation transformation in the last years in the country.

Effluents from swine raising can be harmful to the environment if not correctly managed. Nitrogen (N) is usually the main element present at high concentrations in the effluent. Since the use as biofertilizer is not always a feasible alternative, the treatment of swine wastewater is necessary. Variations in N species and water solubility make the treatment difficult and expensive. Additional N removal at low cost via denitrification may be possible by recirculating nitrified effluent in the barns. In this study, raw manure (RM) was homogenized with treated effluent (TE) at RM/(RM + TE) ratios of 1.0, 0.9, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 and 0 in order to simulate the effect of reused water on swine wastewater nitrogen removal. Samples were collected daily during four days and analyzed for pH, oxidation-reduction potential, NH4-N, NO2-N, NO3-N and chemical oxidation demand. The oxidized nitrogen (NOx-N) half-life degradation was estimated using linear regression. NOx-N species half-life less than one day was obtained when treated effluent was combined and thoroughly homogenized with raw manure. It is suggested that combining raw manure with treated effluent (e.g. water reuse) can be a simple and cost-effective strategy to remove nitrogen from swine wastewaters.

O óxido nitroso (N2O) é altamente impactante ao meio ambiente por ser um dos três gases mais importantes quando considerado o alto potencial de efeito estufa e a baixa quantidade emitida para a atmosfera. A preocupação com a geração de N2O no tratamento de efluentes tem crescido nas duas últimas décadas. Muitos estudos vêm sendo realizados com o objetivo de avaliar as condições de geração e emissão de N2O em etapas de remoção de nitrogênio no tratamento, tanto em escala laboratorial quanto em estações de tratamento de efluentes. Essas pesquisas demonstram que, sob certas condições, ambos os processos podem produzir e emitir grandes quantidades de N2O para a atmosfera, o que remete à importância de mais investigações para determinar as condições específicas que minimizem a produção e a emissão de N2O nesse caso.

The nitrous oxide (N2O) has a high striking power in environmental. It's one of the three most important greenhouse gases, when considered the greenhouse potential and emissions to the atmosphere. The concern in the two last decades with the N2O generation in wastewater treatment has grown. Many studies have been conducted with the objective of evaluate the conditions of N2O generation and emission in the nitrification and denitrification process, in biological nitrogen removal of wastewater treatment, both lab scale and wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). These studies show that under certain conditions, both processes can generate and emit large amounts of N2O to the atmosphere, what demonstrates the importance of conducting further investigations to determine specific conditions that minimize N2O production and emission.

O aumento da escala de produção agropecuária e agroindustrial traz, como consequência, a necessidade por alternativas para a mitigação dos impactos ambientais. As cadeias produtivas de proteína animal (ex.: suinocultura, bovinocultura e avicultura) produzem efluentes com elevada concentração de compostos nitrogenados. Neste contexto, o processo ANAMMOX (do inglês Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation) se constitui em uma nova estratégia de alto desempenho visando remover compostos nitrogenados de águas residuárias, agropecuárias e agroindustriais, sob condições quimiolitoautotróficas. Este artigo apresenta uma revisão bibliográfica de trabalhos publicados nos últimos 15 anos sobre estudos deste processo, discutindo sua rota metabólica, demonstrando os micro-organismos envolvidos e os parâmetros de controle do processo, além de estudos desenvolvidos no Brasil e possíveis aplicações.

The increase in agriculture and agro-industrial scale production brings the necessity for alternatives to mitigate environmental impacts. The animal protein production chains (e.g. swine, cattle and poultry) produce effluents with high concentration of nitrogen compounds. In this context, the ANAMMOX (Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation) process is a new strategy for nitrogen removal in a high rate from agricultural and agro-industrial wastewaters under chemolithoautotrophic conditions. This paper presents a literature review of papers published in the last 15 years about the ANAMMOX process, discussing their metabolic pathway, microorganisms, main control parameters as well as studies conducted in Brazil and application possibilities.

A elevada carga de nitrogênio presente em efluentes da suinocultura é um dos maiores desafios de manejo da atividade. O processo Anammox surge como boa alternativa para a remoção biológica desse nutriente. Este trabalho teve como objetivo aclimatar diferentes amostras de lodos de sistemas de tratamento de efluentes da suinocultura com vistas ao estabelecimento do processo Anammox. Dois inóculos foram coletados na Embrapa Suínos e Aves, Concórdia - SC, um dos quais no fundo de uma lagoa anaeróbia inativa (Inóculo A) e o outro, em um tanque de aeração (Inóculo B). Ambos foram aclimatados até cessar o consumo de N-NO3- e, posteriormente, inoculados em dois reatores (Reator A - Inóculo A e Reator B - Inóculo B). O Reator A apresentou atividade, após aproximadamente 110 dias de operação, enquanto o Reator B precisou de aproximadamente 170 dias, diferença de tempo de partida que pode ser explicada pelas diferentes condições ambientais a que cada lodo estava submetido. As análises de FISH e PCR comprovaram a presença de microrganismos com atividade Anammox, mostrando que lodos de sistemas de tratamento de efluentes da suinocultura podem ser boa fonte de inóculo para o desenvolvimento do processo Anammox.

The high load of nitrogen present in swine wastewater is one of the biggest management challenges of the activity. The Anammox process emerges as a good alternative for biological removal of nitrogen. This study aims to acclimate sludge collected from swine effluent treatment systems to establish the Anammox process. Two sludge samples were collected at Embrapa Swine and Poultry, Concordia - SC, Brazil, one from the bottom of an inactive anaerobic pond (inoculum A) and another from an aeration tank (inoculum B). Both were acclimated until the depletion of NO3-N, being subsequently inoculated in two reactors (Reactor A - Inoculum A and Reactor B - Inoculum B). The Reactor A showed activity after 110 days of operation, while the Reactor B needed 170 days. The difference in the start-up time could be explained by the different environmental conditions to which each sludge was submitted. FISH and PCR analyses confirmed the presence of microorganisms with Anammox activity, demonstrating that the sludge of swine wastewater treatment systems is a good source of inoculum for the development of the Anammox process.

The present study aimed to describe the bacterial community present at an anaerobic up flow bioreactor with ANAMMOX activity, inoculated with the sludge from the anaerobic pond of a swine slurry treatment system. The description was based on the molecular DNA techniques using primers for amplification of complete 16S rRNA gene and also new primers to amplify smaller fragments from 16S rRNA. During the bioreactor operation time, the bacterial community changed significantly, increasing the nitrogen removal efficiency, reaching after 500 days a removal rate of 94%. The complete PCR amplification of 16S rRNA gene generated 17 clones, where three presented similarity with Candidatus Jettenia asiatica (97%), twelve with Janthinobacterium (99%) and two with uncultured clones. The PCR amplification of 436 base pairs had generated 12 clones, of which eight presented 96-100% similarity with Candidatus Anammoxoglobus propionicus, Planctomycete KSU-1 and one with Pseudomonas sp. (99%) and three with uncultured clones.

Este trabalho avaliou o efeito da diluição do dejeto de suíno com o efluente tratado a 50% (v/v), com vistas a aumentar a desnitrificação via fornecimento de carbono ao processo. Considerando-se a diluição estudada, a concentração média de N-NO3- na mistura foi de 47,9 + 14,5 mg L-1, e a DQO da mistura, na faixa de 17.543 + 675 mg L-1, resultando numa relação DQO/N-NO3- de 366, extremamente favorável à ocorrência da atividade desnitrificante no tanque de homogeneização da mistura. A concentração de N-NO3- foi reduzida biologicamente a 0,5 mg L-1 (cerca de 1% da concentração inicial). O procedimento testado promoveu, ainda, uma melhora na etapa de separação sólido-líquido, empregando coagulantes naturais, onde foi observado um consumo de tanino inferior ao esperado.

This study evaluated the effect of swine manure dilution with treated effluent up to 50% volumetric ratio of each part, intending to increase the denitrification by carbon feeding to the process. In studied dilution, the range of NO3--N content in the mixture was 47,9 + 14,5 mg L-1 and COD close to 17543 + 675 mg L-1, resulting in favorable denitrification activity on equalization tank due to relation COD/N-NO3- upper to 360. The NO3--N concentration was biologically reduced to 0.5 mg L-1 (around 1% of initial concentration). An improvement in solid-liquid separation efficiency using natural and synthetic organic polymers was also reached in the diluted effluent when compared to the undiluted manure.

A produção de suínos vem aumentando muito no Brasil e a contribuição da suinocultura industrial, que se baseia nos Sistemas de Produção de Animais Confinados (SPACs), tem sido cada vez mais representativa. Na região Oeste de Santa Catarina o crescente aumento da densidade de animais está associado a um passivo ambiental de grandes proporções, principalmente em virtude dos efluentes da produção dos suínos possuírem uma matriz com altas concentrações de matéria orgânica e nutrientes. São inúmeras as alternativas de processos através dos quais se pode realizar o tratamento dos dejetos de suínos: físicos, físico-químicos e biológicos; esses processos podem ser empregados de forma conjunta e sequencial. Neste trabalho se estudou um processo de separação sólido-líquido, baseado no uso de um extrato natural de taninos para a coagulação e floculação de dejeto de suínos com posterior separação gravimétrica em flotodecantador. Realizou-se a comparação da eficiência de remoção de sólidos e de nutrientes em períodos distintos, antes e após as otimizações. As modificações realizadas aumentaram a eficiência do sistema atingindo índices de 46 a 56% de redução da Demanda Química de Oxigênio (DQO), melhor compactação do lodo e diminuição no arraste de sólidos sedimentáveis do flotodencantador.

Swine production is growing fast in Brazil and the contribution of the modern swine production represented by confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), has been very important. The high animal concentration in small areas point out a very intensive environmental impact due to the concentration of organic matter and nutrients in their effluents. There are a lot of alternatives to treat swine manure: physical physico-chemical and biological treatments; these processes can be used together and sequentialy. In this paper, a solid-liquid separation process was studied based on coagulation and flocculation with tannin extracts in a settling tank, that is used as a part of a swine manure compact treatment system to treat swine manure. The process was adjusted in a laboratory scale and some modification was introduced in the full scale plant. A comparison between the pre and post adjustment process was performed. The process modification increase the COD removal from 46 to 56% and the settled solids concentration in the effluent from settling tank was also reduced.