Fumitake Nishimura

• Dr. of Engineering
• Professor (Full) at Kyoto University

In this study, behaviors of metals and their effects on phosphorus recovery by calcium phosphate were investigated by the laboratory and pilot experiments as well as by the modified thermodynamic model. Batch experimental results indicated that the efficiency of phosphorus recovery decreased with the increase in metal content and more than 80% phos...

Semibatch ozonation treatment and its post soil batch experiment for secondary effluent of sewage treatment were conducted to comprehend the reduction characteristics of trihalomethane formation potential (THMFP) and haloacetic acids formation potential(HAAFP). The target effluents were Membrane bioreactor (A2O-MBR) and Conventional activated sludg...

Escherichia coli has been used as an indicator of fecal pollution in environmental waters. However, its presence in environmental waters does not provide information on the source of water pollution. Identifying the source of water pollution is paramount to be able to effectively reduce contamination. The present study aimed to identify E. coli mic...

Escherichia coli has been used as an indicator of fecal pollution in environmental waters. However, its presence in environmental waters does not provide information on the source of water pollution. Identifying the source of water pollution is paramount to be able to effectively prevent contamination. The present study aimed to identify E. coli mi...

Anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge is generally conducted under mesophilic (around 35 °C) or thermophilic (around 55 °C) conditions, whereas it is conducted at lower temperatures in some wastewater treatment plants without heating. In this study, we compared the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge at 15, 25, 30, 35, 45, and 55 °C following hyper...

Purpose Following anaerobic co-digestion of various types of organic waste in wastewater treatment plants, the digestate can be directly used as fertilizer, particularly at small facilities. Cultivation of photosynthetic bacteria (PSB) using this digestate is promising for improving fertilizer quality. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the gro...

4-Chlorobenzoic acid (p-CBA) is frequently used as a hydroxyl radical (HO·) probe substance in studies of ozonation and advanced oxidation processes. However, the temperature dependence of the reaction between HO· and p-CBA remains unclear. In this context, we identified the relationship between temperature (T, K) and the apparent second-order reac...

This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and the source of the antimicrobial-resistant E. coli in the Lake Biwa watershed. To achieve this, field survey for antimicrobial-resistant E. coli were carried out at several locations on Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, Japan and its watershed rivers with and without rainfall events. Results indicated...

Anaerobic co-digestion of wastewater sludge and other types of organic waste with high moisture content is a promising approach for energy recovery. A novel organic waste collection system that stores disposer-crushed kitchen garbage with lactic acid fermentation in personal wastewater treatment systems, such as Johkasou, is proposed for centralize...

The anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge and various types of organic waste produces digestate, which can be used directly as fertilizer. The cultivation of photosynthetic bacteria with digestate is focused on to improve the fertilizer quality. After eight months of enrichment with artificial culture media from a seed of sewage sludge, the accum...

Power to Gas (PtG) technology, which converts surplus electricity into hydrogen gas by water electrolysis, has been attracting attention. One of the methods to utilize this hydrogen gas by converting it into methane gas is bio-methanation in anaerobic digesters at wastewater treatment plants. Laboratory experiments are conducted to evaluate the eff...

Sewerage has been developed with the major objectives of "inundation control," "improvement of public health", and "conservation of water quality in public water areas". In recent years, in addition to these purposes, the practical application of the recovery of resources and energy of sewage such as phosphorus recovery and methane fermentation has...

Anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge is gaining attention as a promising energy recovery technology. Anaerobic digestion is typically operated at mesophilic （around 30‒37°C） or thermophilic （around 50‒55°C） conditions by heating, while it is operated at lower temperatures without heating at some wastewater treatment plants in Japan. The present stu...

Anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge with organic wastes has recently gained attention in small facilities. For small facilities, high solid sludge is suitable for transportation to a centralized co-digester, and direct utilization of the digested sludge as liquid fertilizer is recommended. Effects of high solid and hyperthermophilic pretreatmen...

Recently, the construction of resource recycling centers of excess sludge has been progressing nationwide when night soil treatment facilities are upgraded. Recycling of energy and resources by methane fermentation and composting of organic wastes, including night soil, johkasou sludge, and kitchen garbage, is being promoted. However, johkasou slud...

Indirect potable reuse systems, which consist of wastewater treatment (WWT) and soil aquifer treatment (SAT), offer advantages such as their low cost and the underground storage of reuse water. In this study, the dissolved organic matter (DOM) profile of a sequential treatment system (i.e. WWT followed by SAT) was investigated using a pilot-scale S...

Centralized anaerobic digestion of dewatered sludge from small scale wastewater treatment plants and other waste biomass such as kitchen garbage is a promising energy recovery technology. Anaerobic digestion at lower temperatures reduces operational cost, while hyperthermophilic pretreatment upgrades anaerobic digestion performance. The applicabili...

Scattered small scale domestic wastewater treatment systems managed by different ministries and their sludge disposal are operated ineffectively. Various types of sludge from small wastewater treatment facilities are analyzed in terms of energy contents, focusing on volatile solids (VS)/ total solids (TS) ratio, calorific value, and anaerobic diges...

This study revealed characteristics of dissolved organic matters (DOM) transformation during soil aquifer treatment (SAT) by comparison to Anaerobic-anoxic-oxic(A2O) treatment. SAT pilot-scale column experiment was conducted. Primary effluent from wastewater treatment plant, A2O treated water and SAT effluent were fractionated using DAX-8, XAD-4 an...

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an important greenhouse gas that can be emitted from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Such emissions are reportedly process specific and related to operational parameters. This study was conducted to clarify spatial and daily variations of N2O in a full-scale activated sludge anoxic/oxic process that consisted of an anoxi...

Pseudolabrus sieboldi is a very common labrid fish in Japan coastal region, so the species wasn't being watched so much up to now. Therefore, the habitats of P. sieboldi have been developed easily. But it's pointed out that genetic isolation easily occurred due to being polygyny in their mating system. In order to investigate the genetic diversity...

Poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) are groups of persistent toxic substances that have been commonly detected in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In some cases, the activated sludge (AS) in WWTPs will encounter special wastewaters containing PFASs up to tens of milligram per liter (mg L⁻¹). However, under this condition, the pote...

With the phase-out of persistent, bioaccumalative, and toxic perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs), it is needed to explore the potential release of PFCAs from precursors being emitted into the environment. Biotransformation of fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) via biological processes in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) leads to discharge of PFC...

Improvement methods of polysaccharide degradation and lactate yield in thermophilic L-lactic acid fermentation were evaluated with kitchen garbage and high-yielding rice as materials for biodegradable plastics. Based on the batch experiments, it was cleared that low decomposition ratio of total sugar and lactate yield were obtained from kitchen gar...

Anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge and grass cultivated using the digested sludge as liquid fertilizer is a promising energy production system in small facilities, where oxidation ditch processes are widely applied. Applicability of this system is experimentally evaluated. Grass cultivation performance in 2 months is 0.24 kg(dry)/m². Component...

Microwave assisted with alkaline (MW-A) condition was applied in the pretreatment of swine manure, and the effect of the pretreatment on anaerobic treatment and biogas production was evaluated in this study. The two main microwaving (MW) parameters, microwaving power and reaction time, were optimized for the pretreatment. Response surface methodolo...

Biotransformation of fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can release toxic intermediates and perfluorinated carboxylic acids (PFCAs) to the aqueous environment. However, little information is known about the role of relevant microbial activity (i.e., autotrophs and/or heterotrophs) in biotransformation of FTOHs. Ad...

Wastewater reuse using soil aquifer treatment (SAT) is a rational and realistic solution in countries and regions with limited freshwater resources. The behaviour and removal of perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) under long hydraulic retention times (HRTs) in SAT may warrant further investigation. In this study, actual treated effluent from a...

Eriocaulon nudicuspe (Eriocauloaceae) is an endangered species in Japan. Habitats of the species are lost by city development. So many conservation areas are established in Aichi Prefecture, and protection activities are done by many natural protecting groups, and the extinction rate in recent years is being decelerated. But many protecting groups...

Coffee grounds are produced about 500,000 tons/year in Japan, and methane fermentation can be an effective treatment method for the waste because energy recovery can be expected. Although there is an actual WWTP producing methane gas by co-digestion with coffee grounds and sewage sludge successfully, unstable condition of coffee grounds fermentatio...

Anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge and utilization of digested sludge as liquid fertilizer is a promising energy and resource recovery technology in small facilities, where oxidation ditch processes (OD) are widely applied. Biodegradability of dewatered sewage sludge from OD were comparatively evaluated in digestion and paddy filed experiments. A...

The application of anammox for nitrogen removal from domestic wastewater was investigated in this study. In order to increase the treatment efficiency, polyurethane foam was used as an attached growth medium, and the organic loading rate was reduced by the high-efficiency solid-liquid separation device. Design and operational parameters such as the...

This paper addresses an approach to stabilize the performance of a nitrogen removal process in which the nitritation of ammonium proceeds simultaneously with the anammox reaction in a reactor with biofilm carriers after reducing the organic load of the influent in a high-efficiency solid-liquid separation system. A bench-scale continuous test was c...

The objective of present research was to clarify the effects of environment conditions of oxygen on FTOHs biodegradation property. The lab-scale batch tests of 8:2 FTOH biodegradation under aerobic/anoxic/anaerobic conditions were conducted with acclimated activated sludge collected from an industrial wastewater treatment plant. The results reveale...

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has done the business of digging on the river road to increase the flowing quantity of Ibi River every year since 2000. It is reported to the dug region the Penthorum chinense populations which is the threatened species the restored in 2001. Digging is done from 2000 to 2010 every year. Therefore,...

Two-phase anaerobic digestion process, consisting of hyperthermophilic acidification and thermophilic methane fermentation, coupled with subcritical water process as a pretreatment of thickened excess sludge was examined, aiming at enhancement of methane production ratio and anaerobic digestion efficacy. Batch experiments reveiled that subcritical...

In local cities with decentralized small wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), centralized anaerobic digestion at a WWTP that accepts more sludge from others can serve as the energy hub of the region. Oxidation ditch processes are widely used in small facilities, and dewatering sewage sludge makes it easier to transport the sludge to a centralized W...

Porous concrete has been used for promotion of self-purification at the river and the waterway as an attached growth medium for microorganisms. Recently, porous concrete with zeolite is developed. Zeolite has cation exchange ability and adsorption function which can increase water purification ability. However, the effects of porous concrete with z...

Objectives of this study are to comprehend the removal characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and disinfection by-products formation potential (DBPsFP) in the upper layer, which has active microbial activities, of soil aquifer treatment for wastewater reuse. Three columns, in which sand was packed with the height of 5, 10 and 30 cm, resp...

Using indoor sand columns with effluent from A2O (anaerobic-anoxic-oxic)-O3 process, removal characteristics of disinfection by-products formation potential (DBPsFP), including trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, bromate ion and aldehydes and effects of ozonation process on soil aquifer treatment (SAT) were discussed. Removal ratios of dissolved...

Many alien species have invaded into fluvial environment. The invasion of alien species affect seriously damages to the biological diversity. Authors pointed out that invasion of alien plants is mainly occurred in spring, and recommended that the improvement of river environment should be done from summer to autumn in order for prevent invasion of...

Ammonia removal characteristics of porous concrete with zeolite are investigated. Ammonia is one of the common pollutants in river water, and it can cause several adverse impacts for human activities such as water supply and agricultural purposes. It has negative impacts on water ecosystem as well. Porous concrete with zeolite can adsorb ammonia by...

This study investigated the water purification and biodegradation characteristics of organic matter in soil aquifer treatment (SAT) with short HRT for indirect potable reuse was discussed. 70.7 and 74.3% of DOC removal from treated effluent was obtained by SAT with HRT of at 3.5 days and 7 days, respectively, and high DOC removal in SAT within HRT...

Porous concrete is tried to apply to river as a river bed materials which enhance the amount of attached growth microorganisms and its biological activity. In this study, porous concrete containing zeolite was used as the riverbed materials, and nitrification biofilm forming on the riverbed was targeted. Effects of surface flow rate on nitrificatio...

Nutrient removal from sewage is one of the most urgently required issues from the viewpoint of prevention of eutrophication and preservation of water quality for water supply system. Among several nutrient removal methods, biological treatment, which is a modified activated sludge system, is widely applied. However, biological nitrogen removal proc...

Although ionic liquids (ILs) have unique properties so that utilization in industry has been increased, the methodology of its disposal or decomposition have not been well studied. Since ILs are polar and nonvolatile substances, decomposition in liquid phase is the promising treatment for them. This research aimed at evaluating the decomposition ef...

Sludge ozonation is a promising technology for dealing with the increasing challenge of excess sludge treatment and disposal. However, nitrogen behavior during sludge ozonation and subsequent biological removal remains unclear. To clarify the feasibility and stability of oxidizing organic nitrogen (released during sludge ozonation) in the bioreacto...

Effects of a crush process on methane conversion efficiency in thermophilic anaerobic digestion with coffee grounds were evaluated. The crush process was performed with a blender (10,000 rpm). In batch experiments, solubilization rates for crushed coffee grounds (representative particle size: 320 μm) were greater than 8.10% at 55°C for 24 h, and th...

In this study, changes of microbial substrate metabolic patterns by BIOLOG assay were discussed through a sequential wastewater reuse process, which includes activated sludge and treated effluent in wastewater treatment plant and soil aquifer treatment (SAT), especially focussing on the surface sand layer in conjunction with the vadose zone, concer...

Energy and resource-saving technologies for wastewater treatment have been required. A partial nitrification-ANAMMOX process is one of the efficient processes for the nitrogen removal, however, promising operational methods for partial nitrification is required for stable and effective denitrification by ANAMMOX. The objective of this study is to c...

Energy saving wastewater treatment system has attracted a lot of attention, and partial nitrification- ANAMMOX process has gained notice for its resource and energy saving efficiency from the point of prevention of global warming. In this study, emission characteristics of nitrous oxide (N2O) from both partial nitrification and ANAMMOX process were...

Run off characteristics of nutrients from small basins in Sigenobu river catchment area were invested in detail. These characteristics are summarized by using L-Q curve relationship, and first flush phenomenon in which nutrients concentration increased quickly during the early stage were observed in the cases of SS, T-P, PO4-P, and T-N. Detail obse...

In September 2011, the flood of the Shonai and Yada Rivers in the center of Japan brought lots of earth and sand into their biotopes and caused serious damage to their vegetation. Comparing our data of their ground-beetle assemblage in 2010, we could assess the impact of the flood disturbance. After the spring of 2012, when the damage to the assemb...

In this study, nitrogen behavior was observed during long-term operation of an advanced sewage treatment process combined with sludge reduction and phosphorus recovery. The pilot-scale experimental system had three operation phases with different sludge reduction rates. With an ozone consumption rate of 80–100 mgO3/gSS, 35% of the particulate nitro...

Field surveys on persistent organic pollutant (POP) bioaccumulation were conducted with oysters, clams and scallops whose consumption amount accounted for large shares in the total consumption of shellfish in Japan. There was no numerical difference in bioaccumulation characteristics between oysters, clams, scallops, Corbicula and Mytilus galloprov...

Attached growth reactors were developed separately for solids retention time (SRT)-controlled partial nitrification and for anaerobic ammonia oxidation (Anammox) treatment, and a new nitrogen removal process is proposed for wastewater containing highly concentrated ammonia. For partial nitrification, an attached growth medium of polyurethane foam w...

A novel pilot-scale oxidation ditch (OD) system with an anaerobic tank and dual dissolved oxygen (DO) control technology was used to treat raw domestic wastewater during 310 days of operation. Three intensive sampling sessions indicated that the dual DO control technology could create stable aerobic and anoxic zones along the main ditch, even with...

Understanding current environmental condition is one of the most important issues for achieving effective policy for not only environmental protection but also disaster prevention. Element distribution in the water environment at Kathmandu area was investigated in this study in order to understand current environmental conditions in the areas. The...

The applicability of Corbicula as a bioindicator for monitoring organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in fresh and brackish waters is presented here. Differences in isomer compositions and OCP bioaccumulation levels were analyzed in western Japan and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) in China. Isomer compositions of DDTs, chlordanes, and HCHs were significant...

Matsuyama region, located in Shikoku Island, Japan faces the Seto Inland Sea on the west, where the annual rainfall is relatively less than in the other areas in Japan. In such favorable condition, the cultivation of citrus fruits is popular, and there are a large number of small reservoirs for irrigation purposes. The citrus groves are distributed...

The limitation of ozonation and the applicability of ozone/hydrogen peroxide process with a source water for a water supply using a flow-through type contactor were discussed. The water sample was pre-treated in a lab and spiked with bromide ion in the concentration range from 39 to 515 μg/L, and both 2-MIB and geosmin, odorous algal-derived compou...

The behavior of inorganic elements (including phosphorus, nitrogen, and metals) during sludge ozonation was investigated using batch tests and the effects of metals on sludge solubilization were elucidated. A decrease of ∼ 50% in the ratio of sludge solubilization was found to relate to a high iron content 80-120 mgFe/gSS than that of 4.7-7.4 mgFe/...

As a groundwater contaminant, 1,4-dioxane is of considerable concern because of its toxicity, refractory nature to degradation, and rapid migration within an aquifer. Although landfill leachate has been reported to contain significant levels of 1,4-dioxane, the origin of 1,4-dioxane in leachate has not been clarified until now. In this study, the o...

Tributyltin (TBT) is organotin compound that is toxic to aquatic life ranging from bacteria to mammals. This study examined the concentration of TBT in sediment from and near the Mekong River and the distribution of TBT-resistant bacteria. TBT concentrations ranged from <2.4 to 2.4 ng/g (dry wt) in river sediment and <2.4-15 ng g(-1) (dry wt) in ha...

Matsuyama region, located in Shikoku Island, Japan faces the Seto Inland Sea on the west, where the annual rainfall is relatively less than in the other areas in Japan. In such favorable condition, the cultivation of citrus fruits is popular, and there are a large number of small reservoirs for irrigation purposes. The citrus groves are distributed...

Two analytical methods were developed and refined for the detection and quantitation of two groups of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in the liquid matrixes of two pilot-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants. The targeted compounds are seven sex hormones (estradiol, ethinylestradiol, estrone, estriol, testosterone, progesterone, and and...

連続曝気式高負荷型オキシデーションディッチ (OD) 法による下水からの窒素除去についてモデル実験により検討するとともに, その操作因子を理論的かつ実験的に検討した. その結果, 高負荷運転を行うことにより連続曝気式OD法でも10分以下という短い循環時間の条件下で80%以上の平均全窒素 (TN) 除去率を達成可能であることを実証した. 操作因子としては, 流入負荷およびMLVSS濃度に応じたDO循環速度 (RDO) の制御が重要であることを理論的に示すとともに, RDOの増大とともに脱窒が不充分となりTN除去率が減少することを実証した. また, 無曝気部へのDOの持ち込みを考慮した脱窒に係る正味のC/N比 (η値) を定義し, 無酸素ゾーンが必要量以上現出したRUNで脱窒が不十分であった理由...

A simple biofilm model of competition in bacterial growth for an attached surface is developed. Competition for the attached surface is expressed with the crowded and detachment effects. The developed model is verified by comparing simulated results with data obtained in the experiments of batch culture of nitrifier and continuous treatment of actu...

In this study, field observations are carried out in order to make clear the runoff characteristics of pollutants from citrus fruit grove, especially nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and other inorganic materials. Long-term observation in the test fields continued for more than 7 months and detailed observations during one rainfall are also c...

Owing to overflows from combined sewer pipe systems, water quality of receiving waters, including urban rivers, has become worse year by year. Appropriate countermeasures that can mitigate the overflows, therefore, must be developed promptly. The authors have investigated a distributed simulation model of water qualityand stormwater runoff in urban...

The grove soil for a better fertilization contains phosphorus in high concentration. In this study, the water quality of leachate through grove soil due to artificial acid rain was investigated, and effects on the growth of aquatic microorganisms were studied. Eluviation of phosphorus and aluminum was caused by artificial acid rain. The maximum con...

活性炭, ゼオライトを微生物付着担体として用い, 吸着機構と生物学的変換機構の両機構を反応器内で活用しうる生物活性炭反応器と, 生物ゼオライト反応器とを結合させた処理法を開発し, 汚泥乾燥スクラバー廃水の処理への適用を試みた. 操作因子として単位担体量あたりの負荷率が重要であり, 4mgN・(gZ・d)-1までかけることができること, また脱窒槽においては7mgN・(gGAC・d)-1の範囲までは, 酸化態窒素負荷率に対する有機物負荷率の比が2mgC・(mgN)-1以上のケースにおいて90%以上の酸化態窒素除去が得られることを示した. また無酸素槽のORPを-150～-250mVに制御することの重要性が示された.

The low pH of acid precipitation is buffered by soil to some extent, but the pH-buffering mechanism also releases variety of materials, which may cause wide effect on the aquatic environment. So in this research, we have permeated artificial acid rain through soil to examine the quality of soil leachates. As a result, we have found that some soils...

A combined biological activated carbon (BAC) and biological zeolite (BZ) reactor is under development to remove organics and nitrogen from wastewater which contains both inhibitory organics to nitrification and high concentration of ammonium nitrogen. In this study, the combined BAC and BZ reactor was applied to treatment of scrubber-washed wastewa...

A combined biological activated carbon (BAC) and biological zeolite (BZ) reactor is under development to remove organics and nitrogen from wastewater which contains both inhibitory organics to nitrification and high concentration of ammonium nitrogen. In this study, the combined BAC and BZ reactor was applied to treatment of scrubber-washed wastewa...