Overview
FrançaisABSTRACT
Biological treatments are efficient processes in their fields of application. They do not require sophisticated technologies, are simple to implement and relatively inexpensive. However, a good know-how is necessary for an effective and long-lasting implementation. This article first describes the main types of solid and sludge biodegradable organic waste concerned. Then it presents the types of microbial metabolism in order to define the resulting treatment families. The aerobic and anaerobic processes are then described in their objectives, their parameters and their mode of implementation, before being illustrated by examples of application.
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Read the articleAUTHORS
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Rémy BAYARD: Senior lecturer at Lyon's Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) - Researcher, Waste, Water, Environment and Pollution Laboratory (DEEP), France
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Rémy GOURDON: Professor at Lyon's Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA) - Researcher, Waste, Water, Environment and Pollution Laboratory (DEEP), France
INTRODUCTION
Whatever the medium or material to which it applies, biological treatment consists in the vast majority of cases in using microorganisms under controlled physico-chemical conditions, with the aim of inducing them to carry out the reactions or processes desired by the operator implementing the treatment. Some treatments use higher organisms (e.g. phytoremediation of polluted soils using plants). Others use enzymes (catalysts for biochemical reactions) or cell fractions or extracts. But treatments using microorganisms are by far the most widespread in practice. This article will therefore focus on this type of treatment.
All microorganisms make up what biologists call the protista kingdom. They are often referred to as lower organisms, as they are unicellular organisms and their level of organization is therefore less complex than that of higher plant or animal organisms. However, they are extremely diverse and versatile, and possess astonishing capacities for adaptation. These characteristics make them of great interest in waste treatment, as they give microorganisms the ability to develop multiple activities under variable conditions such as those encountered in environments as complex and heterogeneous as solid waste.
The principle of biological treatment is therefore to stimulate and direct the activity of microorganisms to multiply within the waste and interact with its constituent matter, in order to transform it as desired by the operator. Depending on the treatment objectives, these transformations may involve the degradation (mineralization) of the most progressive constituents of the waste. The residual material obtained after treatment is then more stable (less progressive) than the original waste. It can therefore be stored or used, while controlling the nuisances (odors, etc.) or health and environmental risks that untreated waste could have generated. But under other operating conditions, biotransformations of the material can lead to the formation of high value-added end products (e.g. methane), or give the treated material new properties (e.g. agronomic value of compost). Biological treatments can therefore target both "reactive" objectives (the waste is considered a potential source of nuisance and negative impacts, which the treatment aims to reduce) and "pro-active" objectives (the waste is considered a resource, which the treatment aims to valorize in terms of material and/or energy potential).
The microorganisms involved are generally indigenous to the waste, i.e. present in the waste in question from the outset. The conditions for implementing biological processes for organic biomass waste are therefore based on a "biostimulation" approach. Biostimulation consists in selecting the parameters that create the most favorable...
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KEYWORDS
recycling | anaerobic digestion | energy valorisation | compost | micro-organisms | aerobic treatment | organic waste
CAN BE ALSO FOUND IN:
Home Environment - Safety Environment Biological treatments of solid waste
Home Food–Chem–Bio industry processes Unit operations. Chemical reaction engineering Biological treatments of solid waste
Home Food–Chem–Bio industry processes Bioprocesses and bioproductions Biological treatments of solid waste
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Biological treatment of solid waste
Bibliography
- (1) - ADEME - MODECOM™ 2017 – MODECOM 2017 – Campagne nationale de caractérisation des déchets ménagers et assimilés – Analyse des résultats - (2020a). https://librairie.ademe.fr/
- (2) -...
Standards and norms
- Organic amendments – Composts containing materials of agronomic interest, derived from water treatment. - NF U44-095 - (05-2002)
- Organic amendments – Designations, specifications and marking. - NF U44-051 - (04-2006)
Regulations
Article L541-1-1 of the French Environment Code https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000042176087/
Article L541-1 of the French Environment Code https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000042176062/
...Directory
Leledy Compost SAS unit for processing green waste and sludge from wastewater treatment plants
https://www.leledy-compost.com/
RACINE green waste treatment unit in Vaulx-en-Velin, Décines-Charpieu, Rhône
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