The ongoing growth of the global population has led to increased resource consumption, particularly in the realm of water resources, resulting in potential shortages and environmental concerns. The surge in industrialization has intensified the demand for freshwater, consequently causing significant contamination of global water sources through the discharge of industrial wastewater. This wastewater contains harmful contaminants, such as heavy metals and organic compounds, which pose significant threats to both aquatic ecosystems and human health (Corcoran, 2010). To effectively address this issue, it is imperative to strengthen regulatory measures, promote industrialized initiatives for wastewater reduction and treatment, and foster technological advancements in wastewater management. Lipids within wastewater systems present both opportunities and challenges. Their high energy content holds promise for bioenergy conversion, yet they can also disrupt anaerobic wastewater treatment processes. Consequently, it is often advisable to extract lipids before commencing biological treatment processes (Alves et al., 2009). Lipids are commonly referred to as fats, oils, and grease (FOG) (Cavaleiro et al., 2008). At the core of FOG composition are triglycerides, formed through the esterification of glycerol with long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) (Alves et al., 2009). Within lipid-rich wastewaters, the prevailing LCFAs identified include palmitic acid (C16:0) and oleic acid (C18:1), as highlighted by Hwu et al. (1996). Anaerobic digestion (AD) plays a central role in advancing various sustainable development objectives by seamlessly integrating energy and resource recovery from organic residues and wastewater, all while effectively managing pollution. AD's ability to produce renewable gaseous energy, recycle essential nutrients, and minimize excess sludge production, combined with an enhanced understanding of microbiology and ecophysiology, has propelled AD technologies to the forefront. These technologies now serve as environmentally friendly treatment options for a wide range of wastes and wastewaters, as evidenced by their widespread adoption at the global level (van Lier et al., 2020). Sustainable and efficient conversion of these waste lipids into methane within anaerobic reactors is met with impediments including adsorption, sludge flotation, washout, and inhibition. However, these complications can be circumvented through feeding protocols, optimized mixing, and adept solid separation methods, underpinned by cutting-edge reactor designs and operational methodologies. More recently, developments such as the anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) and flotation-based bioreactors have emerged as solutions tailored for lipid-intensive wastewater treatment (Cavaleiro et. al., 2008). AnMBR, a nexus of anaerobic digestion and membrane filtration, has proven particularly adept for dairy wastewater treatment. It alleviates the challenges tied to gravity-based separation, yielding effluents devoid of suspended solids and of superior quality (Judd, 201). The central focus of this research centered on the assessment of solids retention time (SRT) and its critical role in the operational parameters of AnMBR. This was accomplished by studying sludge filterability and membrane filtration performance. Additionally, we investigated how the acclimatization of biomass impacted the transformation of longchain fatty acids (LCFA) in lipid-rich wastewater. Initial evaluations emphasized the role of SRT on AnMBR efficiency during the treatment of synthetic dairy wastewater laden with lipids. Employing two distinct AnMBR configurations with SRTs of 20 and 40 days, both systems manifested approximately 99%efficiency in waste removal at an organic loading rate of 4.7 g COD L-1 d-1. Significantly,lipid sedimentation was absent, facilitating their continued anaerobic degradation. LCFAaccumulation was minimal in both systems, with the 40-day SRT configuration showing slightly enhanced biological conversion and stability. Subsequently, the study delved into the effects of SRT on the filtration efficacy of AnMBR using lipid-rich synthetic dairy wastewater. When confronted with 40-day SRT, the system encountered elevated pressures and resistances, presumably due to escalated contaminant levels, including fats, oils, and LCFAs. While both systems showcased analogous filterability, the 20-day configuration exhibited superior membrane performance, suggesting potential membrane operational refinements for the 40-day SRT. Lastly, the influence of LCFA on anaerobic sludge processes was investigated. Trialing three distinct sludge samples—two lipid-acclimated and one non-acclimated—they were exposed to varying oleic and palmitic acid concentrations, ranging between 50 to 600 mg COD/L. Oleic acid showed superior degradation capabilities compared to palmitic acid across all samples, with heightened methane production. Lipid-acclimated sludges demonstrated augmented LCFA degradation potential. However, upon reaching LCFA concentrations beyond 400 mg/L, degradation of both acids into intermediate products was inhibited, albeit without affecting methane production. Intriguingly, specific bacterial taxonomies associated with LCFA degradation were identified in lipid-acclimated sludge samples, underscoring the potential of sludge adaptation strategies in enhancing anaerobic treatment of lipid-rich effluents. In this doctoral research, we elucidated the prospects and challenges associated with the utilization of AnMBR for treating lipid-rich dairy wastewater. We highlighted the critical importance of Solid Retention Time (SRT), a key operational parameter that exerts a profound influence on both the biological and membrane aspects of the system. Furthermore, our study underscored the paramount role played by the two most prevalent Long-Chain Fatty Acids (LCFAs), namely oleic and palmitic acid, within the domain of anaerobic digestion.@en

The study investigated the effects of long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) on anaerobic sludge treating lipid-rich wastewater. It involved batch experiments with three sludge samples: two acclimated to lipids and one non-acclimated. The experiments aimed to observe the degradation of LCFA, specifically oleate and palmitate, by dosing them at concentrations ranging from 50 to 600 mg/L. Measurements of the cumulative methane production and the LCFA concentration, quantified as fat, oil, and grease (FOG) were performed. To ensure the sludge was free from other biodegradable substrates, part of the samples was pre-incubated without feed. The tests were conducted with both pre-incubated and non-incubated inoculum sludge. The findings revealed that oleate was degraded more efficiently than palmitate across all sludge samples, with a greater conversion rate to methane. Sludge samples acclimated to lipids showed a superior capacity to degrade LCFA compared to non-acclimated ones. It was noted that at concentrations above 400 mg/L, the conversion of LCFAs to intermediate compounds was inhibited, although this did not affect the subsequent methane production. The study concludes with a recommendation for sludge adaptation strategies to boost the efficiency of anaerobic wastewater treatment systems dealing with lipid-rich waste. The presence of LCFA-degrading bacteria families like Kosmotogaceae, Petrotogaceae, and Synergistaceae in the acclimated sludge samples underscores the adaptation and potential for improved degradation performance.

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Several problems associated with the presence of lipids in wastewater treatment plants are usually overcome by removing them ahead of the biological treatment. However, because of their high energy content, waste lipids are interesting yet challenging pollutants in anaerobic wastewater treatment and codigestion processes. The maximal amount of waste lipids that can be sustainably accommodated, and effectively converted to methane in anaerobic reactors, is limited by several problems including adsorption, sludge flotation, washout, and inhibition. These difficulties can be circumvented by appropriate feeding, mixing, and solids separation strategies, provided by suitable reactor technology and operation. In recent years, membrane bioreactors and flotation-based bioreactors have been developed to treat lipid-rich wastewater. In parallel, the increasing knowledge on the diversity of complex microbial communities in anaerobic sludge, and on interspecies microbial interactions, contributed to extend the knowledge and to understand more precisely the limits and constraints influencing the anaerobic biodegradation of lipids in anaerobic reactors. This critical review discusses the most important principles underpinning the degradation process and recent key discoveries and outlines the current knowledge coupling fundamental and applied aspects. A critical assessment of knowledge gaps in the field is also presented by integrating sectorial perspectives of academic researchers and of prominent developers of anaerobic technology.

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This study evaluated the effects of sludge retention time (SRT) on the membrane filtration performance of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) fed lipid-rich synthetic dairy wastewater. The membrane filtration performance was evaluated in two AnMBR systems operated at two different SRTs, i.e., 20 and 40 days. For the AnMBR operated at 40 days, SRT exhibited worse membrane filtration performance characterized by operational transmembrane pressures (TMP) exceeding the maximum allowed value and high total resistances to filtration (Rtotal). The sludge in the two reactors evaluated at the different SRTs showed similar sludge filterability properties. However, the sludge in the reactor operated at 40 days SRT was characterized by exhibiting the highest concentrations of: (i) total suspended solids (TSS), (ii) small-sized particles, (iii) extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), (iv) soluble microbial products (SMP), (v) fats, oils and grease (FOG), and (vi) long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). The cake layer resistance was the major contributor to the overall resistance to filtration. The high TSS concentration observed in the AnMBR systems apparently contributed to a less permeable cake layer introducing a negative effect on the membrane filtration performance.@en

In this study, the impact of applied solids retention time (SRT) on the biological performance of an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) treating synthetic dairy wastewater with high lipid content was assessed. Two side-stream AnMBR systems were operated at an SRT of 20 and 40 days (R20 and R40, respectively), equipped with an inside-out tubular membrane operated in cross-flow mode under full-scale operational conditions, i.e. crossflow velocity, transmembrane pressure, membrane flux. Successful operation was achieved and removal efficiencies of both reactors were up to 99% applying an organic loading rate (OLR) of 4.7 g COD L⁻¹ d⁻¹. No precipitation of lipids was observed throughout the operational period, keeping the lipids available for the anaerobic degradation. Long chain fatty acid (LCFA) accumulation was very modest and amounted 148 and 115 mg LCFA-COD per gram of volatile suspended solids (VSS) for R20 and R40, respectively. At an SRT of 40 days, a slightly better biological conversion was obtained. Periodically performed specific methanogenic activity (SMA) tests showed stabilization of the SMA for R40 sludge, whereas for R20 sludge the SMA continued to decrease. This study revealed a more stable reactor performance operating the AnMBR at an SRT of 40 days compared to 20 days.

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