Daniel Yeh
University of South Florida, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty Member
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Achieving safely managed sanitation and resource recovery in areas that are rural, geographically challenged, or experiencing rapidly increasing population density may not be feasible with centralized facilities due to space requirements,... more
Achieving safely managed sanitation and resource recovery in areas that are rural, geographically challenged, or experiencing rapidly increasing population density may not be feasible with centralized facilities due to space requirements, site-specific concerns, and high costs of sewer installation. Non-sewered sanitation (NSS) systems have the potential to provide safely managed sanitation and achieve strict wastewater treatment standards. One such NSS treatment (backend) technology is the NEWgeneratorTM, which includes an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR), nutrient recovery via ion exchange, and electrochlorination. Although the system has been shown to achieve robust treatment of real waste streams for over 100 users, the technology’s relative life cycle sustainability across deployment locations remains unclear. This study characterizes the financial viability and life cycle environmental impacts of the NEWgeneratorTM and prioritizes opportunities to advance system sustainab...
Research Interests:
Clinoptilolite zeolite was chemically modified with sodium, calcium, or magnesium to comparatively study the physical recovery of ammonium and phosphates from simulated blackwater.
Research Interests:
Bioelectrochemical systems with denitrifying biocathodes have been of interest for the removal of nitrate in decentralized wastewater treatment applications. Only a few studies have directly focused on this application, but the removal... more
Bioelectrochemical systems with denitrifying biocathodes have been of interest for the removal of nitrate in decentralized wastewater treatment applications. Only a few studies have directly focused on this application, but the removal rates have been very low. This study evaluated the operational parameters that affect the nitrate removal of two-chambered microbial fuel cells (MFCs) with a biocathode, particularly, the carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N) and proton diffusivity across electrode chambers. The results show that proton diffusion across a proton exchange membrane is not a limiting step in nitrogen removal performance. At C:N ratios of 4 and 8, biocathodes with a continuously supplied carbon source at the anode were able to achieve complete nitrogen removal at a rate of 0.97 ± 0.21 and 1.15 ± 0.13 mg N L−1 d−1, respectively. However, as the C:N ratio increased from 4, 8, 16, and 32, the electrode potentials decreased accordingly. Ratio 4 C:N had a cathodic reduction potential...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Anaerobic digestion of food waste (FW) is typically limited to large reactors due to high hydraulic retention times (HRTs). Technologies such as anaerobic membrane reactors (AnMBRs) can perform anaerobic digestion at lower HRTs while... more
Anaerobic digestion of food waste (FW) is typically limited to large reactors due to high hydraulic retention times (HRTs). Technologies such as anaerobic membrane reactors (AnMBRs) can perform anaerobic digestion at lower HRTs while maintaining high chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies. This study evaluated the effect of HRT and organic loading rate (OLR) on the stability and performance of a side-stream AnMBR in treating diluted fresh food waste (FW). The reactor was fed with synthetic FW at an influent concentration of 8.24 (± 0.12) g COD/L. The OLR was increased by reducing the HRT from 20 to 1 d. The AnMBR obtained an overall removal efficiency of >97 and >98% of the influent COD and total suspended solids (TSS), respectively, throughout the course of operation. The biological process was able to convert 76% of the influent COD into biogas with 70% methane content, while the cake layer formed on the membrane gave an additional COD removal of 7%. Total ammonia...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Extensive efforts have been made in preparedness and restorative action to mitigate impacts on critical water sector services from extreme events, such as storms, earthquakes, and terrorism. Comparatively, with some exceptions, the more... more
Extensive efforts have been made in preparedness and restorative action to mitigate impacts on critical water sector services from extreme events, such as storms, earthquakes, and terrorism. Comparatively, with some exceptions, the more gradual, slow-moving consequences associated with climate change have garnered lower priority in decision-making processes. This research focuses on surface- and ground- water source contamination by elevated chloride levels, which is a common climate-induced effect. Historic and current response actions by water utilities to address elevated chloride levels were analyzed based on a literature review and interviews with water utility professionals. Key lessons and findings were selected to highlight the operational challenges, solutions implemented, and the adaptive measures considered to improve community water supply resilience.
Research Interests:
Abstract Issues related to growing urban populations, protecting the environment and adapting to the changing climate cannot be ignored, especially when it comes to providing reliable water supply to urban areas. Sustainable cities look... more
Abstract Issues related to growing urban populations, protecting the environment and adapting to the changing climate cannot be ignored, especially when it comes to providing reliable water supply to urban areas. Sustainable cities look to shift away from the traditional urban water management characterized by a fragmented approach, and transition to form a new paradigm; one that manages the urban water cycle in a more integrated way, as a single resource, satisfying contemporary issues and adapting to future needs. This paper presents Dunedin, a highly urbanized coastal city, as a case study which considers contemporary issues and future needs of urban water supply. Where most IUWM case studies in literature explore only greywater and wastewater reuse, this paper evaluates the entire urban water cycle beginning with the sustainable extraction of groundwater. Dunedin’s challenges and responses illustrates IUWM’s usefulness in sustainable water use in a nearly closed loop system while providing valuable lessons for cities on a similar trajectory toward improved resilience. Innovative groundwater management strategies, investment in infrastructure technology and aggressive conservation have contributed toward greater sustainability and resilience.
Research Interests:
Anticipated effects of climate change include prolonged heat waves, changes in precipitation patterns (both drought and flooding), frequency and intensity of storms, and sea-level rise. Urban water systems—water, wastewater, and... more
Anticipated effects of climate change include prolonged heat waves, changes in precipitation patterns (both drought and flooding), frequency and intensity of storms, and sea-level rise. Urban water systems—water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities—are vulnerable to these pressures, which have direct effects on water infrastructure, water resources, and the communities that they serve. This chapter will elaborate on how these pressures affect water utilities and possible adaptation measures that can be taken. It will also direct readers to examples of adaptation measures that have been effective around the world as well as resources for water utilities that can be useful in addressing the potential impacts climate can cause.
Research Interests:
To evaluate the feasibility of using an anaerobic bioreactor system for the color removal and reuse of spent reactive dyebaths The objective of this project is to biologically renovate reactive dyebaths and reuse the high-salt containing... more
To evaluate the feasibility of using an anaerobic bioreactor system for the color removal and reuse of spent reactive dyebaths The objective of this project is to biologically renovate reactive dyebaths and reuse the high-salt containing mixture in the dyeing process. An anaerobic, fixed-film bioreactor to achieve reducing conditions leading to the azo bond cleavage of reactive dyes will be developed. This approach will accomplish two goals: (a) destruction of the dye azo bond and therefore elimination of the color from the plant effluent; and (b) reuse of the renovated process water and salts which in turn will lead to wastewater volume reduction and water as well as salt conservation. The results of the proposed study will demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of anaerobic biological processes as a low-cost decolorization and reuse technology for spent reactive dyebaths. Nine commercial reactive dyes have been chosen and represent the range of chemical structures in reac...
A lab-scale (6.2 L) anaerobic membrane bioreactor combined with a tubular, cross-flow, PVDF ultrafiltration membrane was developed and operated to assess the long-term fouling behavior of a cyclically operated anaerobic membrane... more
A lab-scale (6.2 L) anaerobic membrane bioreactor combined with a tubular, cross-flow, PVDF ultrafiltration membrane was developed and operated to assess the long-term fouling behavior of a cyclically operated anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR). The AnMBR was operated at 35 ± 1 °C for 200 days with a synthetic influent of 501 mg·L−1 COD to mimic municipal wastewater. The system exhibited high treatment performance with an average COD removal efficiency of 86.5 ± 6.4% (n = 20) and an average permeate COD concentration of 63.9 ± 31.1 mg·L−1. A clear permeate with an average turbidity of 0.6 ± 0.2 NTU, was achieved. Permeate TN and TP concentrations were 22.7 ± 5.1 mg·L−1 and 6.9 ± 2.0 mg·L−1 corresponding to removal efficiencies of 20.6% and 49.3%, respectively, likely due to membrane rejection of particulate, colloidal, and organic fractions. A stable membrane flux of 4.3 L.m−2.h−1 (LMH) was maintained for 183 days without gas-lift, gas sparge, or chemical cleaning. Cyclical opera...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Three structurally-related, nonionic, polysorbate surfactants (Tween 60, 61, and 65) were used as the sole carbon source to sustain the microbial, sequential reductive dechlorination of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in a mixed, methanogenic... more
Three structurally-related, nonionic, polysorbate surfactants (Tween 60, 61, and 65) were used as the sole carbon source to sustain the microbial, sequential reductive dechlorination of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in a mixed, methanogenic culture derived from a contaminated estuarine sediment. The surfactants were partially degraded and fermented to methane with no measurable accumulation of volatile fatty acids, indicating that methanogenesis was rapid relative to the rates of hydrolysis and acidogenesis. Addition of the methanogenesis inhibitor 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid resulted in acetate accumulation without impact on the sequential dechlorination of HCB. An anaerobic biodegradability assay was performed and the following data were obtained for the Tween 60, 61, and 65, respectively: 53, 62, and 62% COD destruction; 35, 57, and 48% COD to methane conversion; and 38, 38, and 45% COD to acetate conversion. These data suggest that the hydrophobic moiety (stearate) of the surfactants w...
Research Interests:
The use of three nonionic polysorbate surfactants – Tween 60, 61 or 65 – as the sole carbon source to sustain methanogenesis and dechlorination, as well as the effect of long-term exposure of enriched cultures to these surfactants, was... more
The use of three nonionic polysorbate surfactants – Tween 60, 61 or 65 – as the sole carbon source to sustain methanogenesis and dechlorination, as well as the effect of long-term exposure of enriched cultures to these surfactants, was investigated through the development of three sediment-derived cultures. Over a one-year period, the carbon source in these cultures was gradually switched from glucose and methanol to surfactant only, while the surfactant concentration was increased from an initial concentration of 100 mg/L to 400 mg/L. In each feeding cycle, the surfactants were partially degraded and converted to methane. Transition from glucose to Tween surfactants as the electron donor did not affect the rate, extent, and pathway of HCB transformation. These surfactants sustained the reductive dechlorination of HCB even after one year of continuous addition to the enriched cultures. This study demonstrated that reductive dechlorination of HCB sustained by the fermentation of Twee...
Research Interests: Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Medicine, Multidisciplinary, Biodegradation, and 15 moreMethanogenesis, Methanol, Methane, Dissolution, Soil Microbiology, Fermentation, Reductive Dechlorination, Biotransformation, Surface Active Agents, Carbon Fibers, Chlorine Compounds, Biological Availability, Soil Pollutants, Pulmonary Surfactant, and Hexachlorobenzene
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
AlgaeSim, a dynamic multiple-systems (C, N, P) mass balance model, was developed to explore the potential for algae biomass production from wastewater by coupling two photobioreactors into the main treatment train at a municipal... more
AlgaeSim, a dynamic multiple-systems (C, N, P) mass balance model, was developed to explore the potential for algae biomass production from wastewater by coupling two photobioreactors into the main treatment train at a municipal wastewater resource recovery facility (WRRF) in Tampa, Florida. The scoping model examined the synergy between algae cultivation and wastewater treatment through algal growth and substrate removal kinetics, as well as through macroeconomic analyses of biomass conversion to bioproducts. Sensitivity analyses showed that biomass production is strongly dependent on Monod variables and harvesting regime, with sensitivity changing with growth phase. Profitability was sensitive to processing costs and market prices of products. Under scenarios based on current market conditions and typical algae production, AlgaeSim shows that a WRRF can potentially generate significant profit if algae are processed for biodiesel, biogas, or fertilizer. Wastewater resource recovery facilities could similarly save on operating costs resulting from the reduction in aeration (for nitrification) and chemicals (for denitrification).
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The effect of a non-ionic surfactant on the phase distribution of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in a suspended-growth culture system was assessed. Tween 60, a polyoxyethylene sorbitan stearate ester surfactant, and an azide-inactivated, mixed,... more
The effect of a non-ionic surfactant on the phase distribution of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in a suspended-growth culture system was assessed. Tween 60, a polyoxyethylene sorbitan stearate ester surfactant, and an azide-inactivated, mixed, methanogenic, HCB-dechlorinating culture were used in this work. The sorption of HCB on the biomass as well as sorption and aggregation/precipitation of Tween 60 were experimentally quantified. The values of the HCB and Tween 60 distribution parameters were determined and the phase distribution of HCB in the presence of surfactant and biomass was described quantitatively. Both the HCB and surfactant distribution are highly dependent on the total amount of surfactant present in the system. At low initial surfactant concentrations, most of the HCB is associated with the biomass. As the surfactant concentration increases, the effect of surfactant sorption and precipitation diminishes and the higher pool of surfactant micelles shifts the distribution of...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Due to the contamination of construction and demolition debris (CDD) by gypsum drywall, especially, its sand fraction (CDD sand, CDDS), the sulfate content in CDDS exceeds the posed limit of the maximum amount of sulfate present in... more
Due to the contamination of construction and demolition debris (CDD) by gypsum drywall, especially, its sand fraction (CDD sand, CDDS), the sulfate content in CDDS exceeds the posed limit of the maximum amount of sulfate present in building sand (1.73 g sulfate per kg of sand for the Netherlands). Therefore, the CDDS cannot be reused for construction. The CDDS has to be washed in order to remove most of the impurities and to obtain the right sulfate content, thus generating a leachate, containing high sulfate and calcium concentrations. This study aimed at developing a biological sulfate reduction system for CDDS leachate treatment and compared three different reactor configurations for the sulfate reduction step: the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor, inverse fluidized bed (IFB) reactor and gas lift anaerobic membrane bioreactor (GL-AnMBR). This investigation demonstrated that all three systems can be applied for the treatment of CDDS leachate. The highest sulfate remo...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Leachate from stabilized landfill can pose unique challenges to conventional biological wastewater treatment. Ozone-based advanced oxidation processes have garnered recent consideration as an option to reduce the organic strength and... more
Leachate from stabilized landfill can pose unique challenges to conventional biological wastewater treatment. Ozone-based advanced oxidation processes have garnered recent consideration as an option to reduce the organic strength and recalcitrance of aged landfill leachate. With a bench-scale investigation, the reported work examines the potential for leachate conditioning for further biological treatment by treatment with low-mg/L doses of ozone (0-7.5 mg/L 03). While not sufficient for significant organics mineralization, the tested ozone doses could potentially produce both selective and non-selective oxidation of recalcitrant leachate organic compounds leaving bio-available products in the pre-treated leachate. Leachate conditioning by 03 or 03/H202 was assessed via monitoring of three anthropogenic organic leachate contaminants(tris-(2-chloroethyl) phosphate, tris-(butoxyethyl)-phosphate and 17beta-estradiol (E2)) with ozonation, and ozonation followed by anaerobic incubation. In addition, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and BOD5 analysis of the ozonated leachate, and methane and total gas formation during the anaerobic incubation were used to assess the degree of leachate conditioning. When treated with O3 alone, 58% removal of E2 was observed with an ozone dose of 4.5-5.4mg/L. Direct oxidation of the three leachate contaminants was limited with O3/H202 pre-treatment. However, this pre-treatment was observed to have significantly improved degradation of E2 during anaerobic incubation of ozonated leachates (removal rate of E2 was 53.7% with 15 days of incubation), indicating the potential for ozone synthesized co-metabolism. However, overall anaerobic microbial activity was not significantly impacted by the applied ozone pre-treatments, as measured by methane formation, total gas formation, and COD removal during incubation.
Research Interests:
Modern commercial water purification technologies heavily rely on the use of membranes for removal of contaminants. Microscale and nanoscale suspended matter is removed using microfiltration (MF) or ultrafiltration (UF), while macro... more
Modern commercial water purification technologies heavily rely on the use of membranes for removal of contaminants. Microscale and nanoscale suspended matter is removed using microfiltration (MF) or ultrafiltration (UF), while macro organic molecules and divalent mineral cations ...
Research Interests:
The effect of a non-ionic surfactant on the phase distribution of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in a suspended-growth culture system was assessed. Tween 60, a polyoxyethylene sorbitan stearate ester surfactant, and an azide-inactivated, mixed,... more
The effect of a non-ionic surfactant on the phase distribution of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) in a suspended-growth culture system was assessed. Tween 60, a polyoxyethylene sorbitan stearate ester surfactant, and an azide-inactivated, mixed, methanogenic, HCB-dechlorinating culture were used in this work. The sorption of HCB on the biomass as well as sorption and aggregation/precipitation of Tween 60 were experimentally quantified. The values of the HCB and Tween 60 distribution parameters were determined and the phase distribution of HCB in the presence of surfactant and biomass was described quantitatively. Both the HCB and surfactant distribution are highly dependent on the total amount of surfactant present in the system. At low initial surfactant concentrations, most of the HCB is associated with the biomass. As the surfactant concentration increases, the effect of surfactant sorption and precipitation diminishes and the higher pool of surfactant micelles shifts the distribution of HCB from the solid phase to the solution phase. The HCB phase distribution in the presence of the surfactant may have a significant effect on HCB bioavailability for reductive dechlorination. The quantitative description of the HCB phase distribution presented here was subsequently used as the basis for the development of a model that describes the bioavailability and reductive dechlorination of HCB in a surfactant/biomass system.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Page 1. Evaluating the conversion of an automotive paint spray-booth scrubber to an activated-sludge system for removing paint volatile organic compounds from air Byung R. Kim, Diane H. Podsiadlik, Daniel H. Yeh, Irving T. Salmeen, Linda... more
Page 1. Evaluating the conversion of an automotive paint spray-booth scrubber to an activated-sludge system for removing paint volatile organic compounds from air Byung R. Kim, Diane H. Podsiadlik, Daniel H. Yeh, Irving T. Salmeen, Linda M. Briggs ...