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Biofilm Responses to Toxic Shocks in Closed Pipes: Using Nitrous Oxide Emissions as an Early Warning of Toxicity Ahead of a Wastewater Treatment Works

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Abstract

Wastewater treatment works can receive toxic substances that can kill microorganisms responsible for waste degradation. Implementation of toxicity monitors in-sewer, as part of an early warning system to help prevent toxic substances entering treatment works, is, however, very rare. This work presents results from a pilot-scale study using an in-sewer early warning system based on detection of nitrous oxide (N2O) gas emitted by nitrifying bacteria naturally present in sewer biofilm. Nitrous oxide has potential to be an indicator of nitrification inhibition as it is typically emitted when nitrifiers are under stress. The biofilm was allowed to develop over 14 days under fixed wastewater flow and level. Presence of nitrifying bacteria was verified on day 13 followed by a 90 min toxic shock on day 14 by four different known nitrification inhibitors. Pre-shock nitrification rates averaged 0.78 mg-NH4 +-N mg-VS−1 d−1 and were significantly reduced post shock to <0.2 mg-NH4 +-N mg-VS−1 d−1. Nitrous oxide emissions were found to vary with influent wastewater quality, suggesting a more complex data processing algorithm is needed instead of a simple threshold emission value. The extent of nitrification inhibition differed from the recorded response for suspended growth biomass with allylthiourea resulting in a 77 and 81 % nitrification inhibition for literature suspended growth EC50 and EC75 concentrations, respectively. Results from this study suggest nitrifying biofilms in closed pipes can be used as part of an early warning system but will likely require amplification of the response to be of practical use. Further research is required to better understand the biofilm response and calibrate the early warning system for differentiating its unique baseline from true toxicity events.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the EPSRC, Severn Trent Water Ltd. and United Utilities PLC for their financial and technical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cranfield University, Cranfield, MK43 0AL, UK

    G. Black, A. Nocker, E. Cartmell & G. Dotro

  2. Severn Trent Water Ltd, Coventry, CV1 2LU, UK

    M. Jones & P. Vale

  3. United Utilities PLC, Haweswater House, Lingley Green Avenue, Warrington, WA5 3LP, UK

    N. Johnson

Authors
  1. G. Black
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  2. M. Jones
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  3. P. Vale
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  4. N. Johnson
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  5. A. Nocker
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  6. E. Cartmell
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  7. G. Dotro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. Dotro.

Electronic supplementary material

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Appendix I

N2O emissions (90 point moving average applied to raw data) time series comparing biofilms conditioned with real and synthetic sewage on all pipes. ATU toxic shock applied at hour 24. (XLSX 209 kb)

Appendix II

N2O emissions (90 point moving average applied to raw data) time series comparing biofilms conditioned with real and synthetic sewage on all pipes. Chromium toxic shock applied at hour 24. (XLSX 108 kb)

Appendix III

N2O emissions (90 point moving average applied to raw data) time series comparing biofilms conditioned with real and synthetic sewage on all pipes. Copper toxic shock applied at hour 24. (XLSX 107 kb)

Appendix IV

N2O emissions (90 point moving average applied to raw data) time series comparing biofilms conditioned with real and synthetic sewage on all pipes. Nickel toxic shock applied at hour 24. (XLSX 109 kb)

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Black, G., Jones, M., Vale, P. et al. Biofilm Responses to Toxic Shocks in Closed Pipes: Using Nitrous Oxide Emissions as an Early Warning of Toxicity Ahead of a Wastewater Treatment Works. Water Air Soil Pollut 225, 1837 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-013-1837-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-013-1837-1

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