Michał Polus
Technical Transactions, Enviromental Engineering Issue 1-S (11) 2016, 2016, pp. 157-170
https://doi.org/10.4467/2353737XCT.16.205.5954Examples of the use of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to study organic matter in variable vacuum (VP) were presented. The organisms growing in water (e.g. Chironomidae), carried by water/wastewater (e.g. Protozoa, Amoebozoa) or inhabiting reservoirs (e.g. Algae), were investigated. The results indicate a good agreement between the predictions in source literature and the actual imaging quality in our VP-SEM experiments.
Michał Polus
Technical Transactions, Volume 5 Year 2017 (114), 2017, pp. 83-95
https://doi.org/10.4467/2353737XCT.17.072.6429This paper examines the effect of Archaea on wastewater treatment in sequencing biological reactors (SBR). The research was carried out in two SBR reactors: a reactor with activated sludge bioaugmented with Archaea (microorganisms which constitute a third domain besides Bacteria and Eukaryotes); a reactor with conventional activated sludge was used as a control. Archaea were incubated in laboratory conditions as recommended by Archaea Solutions Inc. The research revealed that the time period required for the acclimation of the activated sludge in the presence of Archaea was twice as long as in the case of regular nitrifying activated sludge. The observed nitrogen and phosphorous removal from wastewater was achieved to a higher extent in sludge with Archaea and the sludge itself settled faster. The required concentration of oxygen in the reactor with Archaea was lower than in the classic set-up – this resulted in lowering the operating costs of the treatment plant. Furthermore, the denitrification process was significantly shorter and did not require nitrate nitrogen (V).