title: Flocculation and dewaterability of chemically enhanced primary treatment sludge by bioaugmentation with filamentous fungi.
abstract: In this study, filamentous fungal strains isolated from sewage sludge bioleached with iron-oxidizing bacteria were evaluated their effectiveness in improving the flocculation and dewaterability of chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) sludge. Augmentation of the pre-grown mycelial biomass in the CEPT sludge had no significant changes in sludge pH but, improved sludge dewaterability, as evidenced from the decrease in capillary suction time. Improvement on sludge flocculation and dewaterability depended on the fungal strains, and a pellet forming Penicillium sp. was more effective than the fungal isolates producing filamentous form of mycelial biomass due to entrapment of sludge solids onto mycelial pellets. Fungal treatment also reduced the chemical oxygen demand of the CEPT sludge by 35-76%. Supplementation metal cations (Ca(2+), Mg(2+), and Fe(3+)) to fungal pre-augmented sludge rapidly improved the sludge dewaterability. This study indicates that augmentation of selective fungal biomass can be a potential method for CEPT sludge flocculation and dewaterability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Sino-Forest Applied Research Centre for Pearl River Delta Environment, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Kumarasamy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murugesan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Sino-Forest Applied Research Centre for Pearl River Delta Environment, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Ammaiyappan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Selvam
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Sino-Forest Applied Research Centre for Pearl River Delta Environment, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong. Electronic address: jwcwong@hkbu.edu.hk.
authors.forename: Jonathan W C
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental / Q000187:drug effects; D057919:Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; D018533:Biomass; D002412:Cations; D005427:Flocculation / Q000187:drug effects; D005658:Fungi / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008670:Metals / Q000494:pharmacology; D025282:Mycelium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002412:Cations; D008670:Metals; D012722:Sewage; D014867:Water
keywords: CEPT sludge; Dewaterability; Filamentous fungi; Flocculation; Mycelial pellet