The objective of our work is to evaluate the scientific and economic potential of US application as a pre-treatment step in combination with UV to optimise the disinfection process of wastewaters. Ultrasound application of 20 s at low density of 30 W/l changed the particle size distribution (PSD) of the samples, the mean particle diameter dropped from 70 to 11 microm. Generally it is assumed that bioparticles bigger than 50 microm are difficult to disinfect by UV. We observed that the relevant particle size range >50 microm in samples taken from the primary clarifier was reduced by at least three-quarters by low ultrasound doses. As expected, these changes in PSD notably effect the disinfection efficiency of UV. Whereas UV treatment of secondary clarifier's effluents alone led to a reduction of fecal coliforms by 2.5 log units, pre-treatment by sonication (only 5 s at densities of 50 and 310 W/l) clearly enhanced the disinfection efficiency: reductions of CFU (colony forming unit) concentration now ranged between 3.3 and 3.7 log units. We noticed an influence of the bacteria's morphology on the disinfection efficiency of the combined process (US plus UV). Gram-positive streptococci seem less vulnerable to ultrasound exposure than thinner-walled gram-negative bacteria like the entire group of coliforms. The application of an ultrasound step might be also useful in terms of cost-effectiveness. In our lab-scale tests 30 s of UV treatment alone were required to reduce the number of fecal coliforms by 3.7 log units. When applied in combination, 5 s of ultrasonic followed by only 5 s of UV irradiation had the same result and energy consumption was only 43%.

Attached algae settlement is frequently observed in effluents of wastewater treatment plants at locations with sufficient sunlight. For their growth they incorporate nutrients and the surface of the algal biofilm accumulates suspended solids from the clarified wastewater. During the photosynthesis process of algal biofilms oxygen is produced while dissolved carbon dioxide is consumed. This led to an increasing pH due to the change of the carbon dioxide equilibrium in water. The high pH causes precipitation of dissolved phosphates. Furthermore an extensive removal of faecal bacteria was observed in the presence of algae, which may be caused by the activity of algae. The experimental results indicate the high potential of these attached algae for polishing secondary effluent of wastewater treatment plants. Especially for small wastewater treatment plants a post connected stage for nutrient removal and bacteria reduction can be developed with the aid of an algal biofilm.

The presence of soluble organic material as well as high concentrations of suspended matter in waters and wastewaters affect the efficiency when chlorine is used as disinfection agent. The objective of our work is to explore to which extend ultrasonic treatment can facilitate wastewater disinfection with chlorine in order to bring down doses of ecologically questionable chlorine and to shorten contact times. Sewage treatment plant (STP) effluents with different concentrations of suspended solids are exposed to sonication in combination with chlorine dosage. We observed that enhancement of chlorine efficiency is better for samples with higher concentrations of suspended matter. For samples with a TSS concentration of 50 mg/L chlorination efficiency (2 mg/L) can be doubled from 0.7 to 1.4 log when treated simultaneously with 20 kHz ultrasound for 5 minutes, i.e. levels of indicator organisms can be brought down to numbers that conventionally require far higher doses of chemical disinfectants. As subsequent sonication/chlorination does not have the same significant effect as simultaneous application of these two means, ultrasound does not just have a declumping effect; it seems that ultrasound application provokes a better chlorine dispersion in the aqueous media which improves the fast chemical and bactericidal reaction.

Cavitation, induced by ultrasound at low frequencies, is an effective means for the disintegration of bacterial cells. Two effects can be observed: at low ultrasound doses bacteria flocs can be declumped by mechanical shear stresses, and at increased doses ultrasound cavitation has an impact on the cell walls such that they are broken. In lab scale experiments a horn sonotrode operated at 20 kHz was run in combination with a low-pressure mercury arc lamp to treat wastewater samples taken from the effluent of a municipal treatment plant. At low ultrasound intensities a drastic change in samples' particle size distribution was observed. Consequently, subsequent UV irradiation was far more efficient as the number of large particles which impede disinfection processes was minimised by the sonication. Hence, applied UV doses could be reduced notably to obtain the same or even better disinfection effects.

No abstract