Decentralized sewage treatment and energy recovery in high-rise buildings using anaerobic baffle reactor coupled with plant biofilter reactor: A focus on surfactant and phenol removal

IF 8.2 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Science of the Total Environment Pub Date : 2025-05-17 DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179661

Waseem Raja , Guntuboina Sai Nagendra Rohith , Satinder Kaur Brar , Pratik Kumar

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The emergence of phenols and surfactants in domestic wastewater, largely attributed to changing Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) practices, presents treatment challenges for conventional centralized systems. This study evaluates the performance of an integrated Anaerobic Baffled Reactor (ABR) and Plant Biofilter Reactor (PBFR) system for decentralized wastewater treatment and biogas recovery, focusing on its applicability in high-rise infrastructures. Real domestic wastewater, containing ammonia (55 mg/L), soluble chemical oxygen demand (s-COD, 580 mg/L), phenols (16 mg/L), and surfactants (17 mg/L), was treated under varying hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 1, 2, and 3 days. At an HRT of 2 days, the system achieved up to 76 % ammonia removal, while phenol and surfactant removal reached 52 % and 85 % at 3 days HRT. COD removal exceeded 60 % across all HRTs. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was employed to statistically interpret treatment performance. Mass spectrometry identified degradation by-products of phenols and surfactants, and their influence on biogas generation was assessed. Gas chromatography analysis indicated a high-quality biogas yield (CH₄ > 70 %, CO₂ ∼ 20 %). Adding dextrose significantly enhanced gas production by stimulating microbial metabolism compared to fructose and sucrose. However, high influent concentrations of phenols and surfactants exhibited inhibitory effects on microbial activity, emphasizing the need for controlled organic loading. MTT-based cytotoxicity assays confirmed the treated effluent's non-toxic nature. These findings demonstrate the technical feasibility of integrated ABR-PBFR systems for treating complex wastewater streams while enabling energy recovery. The study provides a scalable and sustainable framework for decentralized wastewater management in urban high-rise settings, supporting circular economy and sustainable water management objectives.

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厌氧折流板-植物生物滤池在高层建筑污水处理及能源回收中的应用：表面活性剂和苯酚的去除

生活废水中酚类和表面活性剂的出现，主要归因于水、环境卫生和个人卫生（WASH）实践的变化，给传统的集中式系统带来了处理挑战。本研究评估了厌氧折流板反应器（ABR）和植物生物滤池（PBFR）集成系统在分散污水处理和沼气回收中的性能，重点研究了其在高层基础设施中的适用性。对含氨（55 mg/L）、可溶性化学需氧量（s-COD, 580 mg/L）、酚类（16 mg/L）和表面活性剂（17 mg/L）的真实生活废水进行了1、2和3天不同水力停留时间（hrt）的处理。在HRT为2天的情况下，系统的氨去除率高达76%，而在HRT为3天的情况下，苯酚和表面活性剂去除率分别达到52%和85%。所有hrt的COD去除率均超过60%。采用主成分分析（PCA）对治疗效果进行统计解释。质谱法鉴定了酚类和表面活性剂的降解副产物，并评估了它们对沼气产生的影响。气相色谱分析表明，高质量的沼气产率(CH₄>；70%, co₂~ 20%)。与果糖和蔗糖相比，添加葡萄糖通过刺激微生物代谢显著提高产气量。然而，高浓度的酚类和表面活性剂对微生物活性表现出抑制作用，强调了控制有机负荷的必要性。基于mtt的细胞毒性试验证实了处理后的废水的无毒性质。这些发现证明了综合ABR-PBFR系统在处理复杂废水流的同时实现能源回收的技术可行性。该研究为城市高层环境中的分散废水管理提供了一个可扩展和可持续的框架，支持循环经济和可持续水管理目标。

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来源期刊

Science of the Total Environment 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

17.60

自引率

10.20%

发文量

8726

审稿时长

2.4 months

期刊介绍： The Science of the Total Environment is an international journal dedicated to scientific research on the environment and its interaction with humanity. It covers a wide range of disciplines and seeks to publish innovative, hypothesis-driven, and impactful research that explores the entire environment, including the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and anthroposphere. The journal's updated Aims & Scope emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary environmental research with broad impact. Priority is given to studies that advance fundamental understanding and explore the interconnectedness of multiple environmental spheres. Field studies are preferred, while laboratory experiments must demonstrate significant methodological advancements or mechanistic insights with direct relevance to the environment.