Thesis Defence: Reim Soliman (Master of Applied Science in Engineering)
You are encouraged to attend the defence. The details of the defence and attendance information is included below:
Date: May 8, 2025
Time: 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM (PT)
Defence mode: Remote
Virtual Attendance: via Zoom (additional Zoom details at bottom of message)
LINK TO JOIN: Please contact the Office of Graduate Administration for information regarding remote attendance for online defences.
To ensure the defence proceeds with no interruptions, please mute your audio and video on entry and do not inadvertently share your screen. The meeting will be locked to entry 5 minutes after it begins: please ensure you are on time.
Thesis entitled: OPTIMIZATION OF AEROBIC GRANULAR SLUDGE PERFORMANCE FOR HIGH-STRENGTH BREWERY WASTEWATER TREATMENT.
Abstract: Given the increasing environmental regulations on wastewater effluent quality, finding efficient and sustainable treatment solutions for the brewing industry is essential. The main objective of this study was to optimize the operational parameters of influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) for enhanced treatment of high-strength brewery wastewater using AGS technology. A 2² full factorial experimental design with a replicated center point was employed to determine the optimal operational conditions for AGS systems to enhance the removal of COD, ammonia, and phosphorus from brewery wastewater. COD was tested at two levels – 3000 mg/L and 5,000 mg/L – while the HRT was tested at 10.67 h and 16 h. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 0.05 significance level and regression were conducted using the Design Expert software to determine the significance of the main effects and interactions among the experimental factors on COD, ammonia, and phosphorus removal. Statistical models were developed to predict the relationship between the operational variables (independent variables) and removal efficiencies (dependent variables). The optimization results confirmed consistently high COD removal efficiency, exceeding 99% across all experimental conditions with only minor variations. Given this consistency, the selection of optimal conditions was based primarily on ammonia and phosphorus removal performance. The highest removal efficiencies for both ammonia and phosphorus were achieved at an HRT of 16 h. Specifically, Run 1 (COD: 2900 ± 180 mg/L; HRT: 16 h) achieved 96% ammonia removal and 96% phosphorus removal, while Run 2 (COD: 5050 ± 140 mg/L; HRT: 16 h) achieved in 98% ammonia removal and 90% phosphorus removal. These findings emphasize the dominant role of HRT in enhancing nutrient removal, highlighting its critical importance in the optimization of AGS system for effective wastewater treatment.
The statistical analysis further reinforced these findings, revealing that influent COD concentration had a limited effect on ammonia removal (p-value = 0.7077) and COD removal (p-value = 0.0940), as both exceeded the 0.05 significance level. In contrast, phosphorus removal was significantly influenced by both COD (p-value = 0.0084) and HRT (p-value = 0.0002). This underscores the complex interactions between operational parameters and removal efficiencies, demonstrating the necessity of optimizing HRT to maximize phosphorus and ammonia removal in AGS systems.
The optimized conditions identified in this research offer a pathway to more efficient and sustainable wastewater treatment processes. The findings also provide a strong foundation for improving AGS system efficiency, with implications for reducing operational costs and environmental impact. Future research should focus on validating these results using real brewery wastewater, exploring long-term operational stability, and investigating the potential for biopolymer recovery from AGS sludge to enhance system sustainability.
Defence Committee:
Chair: Dr. Erik Jensen, University of Northern British Columbia
Supervisor: Dr. Oliver Iorhemen, University of Northern British Columbia
Committee Member: Dr. Deborah Roberts, University of Northern British Columbia
Committee Member: Dr. Rania Hamza, Toronto Metropolitan University
External Examiner: Dr. Michael Preston, University of Northern British Columbia
Contact Information
Graduate Administration in the Office of the Registrar, University of Northern British Columbia