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Shang Z, Cai C, Guo Y, Huang X, Peng K, Guo R, Wei Z, Wu C, Cheng S, Liao Y, Hung CY, Liu J. Direct and indirect monitoring methods for nitrous oxide emissions in full-scale wastewater treatment plants: A critical review. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 358:120842. [PMID: 38599092 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 03/17/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Mitigation of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions in full-scale wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) has become an irreversible trend to adapt the climate change. Monitoring of N2O emissions plays a fundamental role in understanding and mitigating N2O emissions. This paper provides a comprehensive review of direct and indirect N2O monitoring methods. The techniques, strengths, limitations, and applicable scenarios of various methods are discussed. We conclude that the floating chamber technique is suitable for capturing and interpreting the spatiotemporal variability of real-time N2O emissions, due to its long-term in-situ monitoring capability and high data acquisition frequency. The monitoring duration, location, and frequency should be emphasized to guarantee the accuracy and comparability of acquired data. Calculation by default emission factors (EFs) is efficient when there is a need for ambiguous historical N2O emission accounts of national-scale or regional-scale WWTPs. Using process-specific EFs is beneficial in promoting mitigation pathways that are primarily focused on low-emission process upgrades. Machine learning models exhibit exemplary performance in the prediction of N2O emissions. Integrating mechanistic models with machine learning models can improve their explanatory power and sharpen their predictive precision. The implementation of the synergy of nutrient removal and N2O mitigation strategies necessitates the calibration and validation of multi-path mechanistic models, supported by long-term continuous direct monitoring campaigns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenxin Shang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China
| | - Chen Cai
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China; Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China.
| | - Yanli Guo
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China
| | - Xiangfeng Huang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China; Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China
| | - Kaiming Peng
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China; Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China
| | - Ru Guo
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China; Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China
| | - Zhongqing Wei
- Fuzhou Water Group Co., Ltd, Fuzhou, 350000, PR China
| | - Chenyuan Wu
- Fuzhou Water Group Co., Ltd, Fuzhou, 350000, PR China
| | - Shunjian Cheng
- Fuzhou City Construction Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd, Fuzhou, 350000, PR China
| | - Youxiang Liao
- Fuzhou City Construction Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd, Fuzhou, 350000, PR China
| | - Chih-Yu Hung
- Environment and Climate Change, 351 Saint-Joseph Blvd., 9th Floor. Gatineau, Quebec, K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Jia Liu
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China; Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, PR China
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Hwan Kang K, Yang M, Raza S, Son H, Park YK, Wang J, Kim YM. Mitigation of N 2O emissions via enhanced denitrification in a biological landfill leachate treatment using external carbon from fermented sludge. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 335:139114. [PMID: 37270035 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.139114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The effects of an external carbon source (C-source) on the mitigation of N2O gas (N2O(g)) emissions from landfill leachate were investigated via enhanced denitrification using anaerobically fermented sewage sludge. Anaerobic fermentation of sewage sludge was conducted under thermophilic conditions with progressively increasing organic loading rates (OLR). Optimal conditions for fermentation were determined based on the efficiency of hydrolysis and the concentrations of sCOD and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) as follows: at an OLR of 40.48 ± 0.77 g COD/L·d with 1.5 days of solid retention time (SRT), 14.68 ± 0.59% of efficiency of hydrolysis, 14.42 ± 0.30 g sCOD/L and 7.85 ± 0.18 g COD/L of VFAs. Analysis of the microbial community in the anaerobic fermentation reactor revealed that degradation of sewage sludge might be potentially affected by proteolytic microorganisms producing VFAs from proteinaceous materials. Sludge-fermentate (SF) retrieved from the anaerobic fermentation reactor was used as the external C-source for denitrification testing. The specific nitrate removal rate (KNR) of the SF-added condition was 7.54 mg NO3-N/g VSS·hr, which was 5.42 and 2.43 times higher than that of raw landfill leachate (LL) and a methanol-added condition, respectively. In the N2O(g) emission test, the liquid phase N2O (N2O-N(l)) of 20.15 mg N/L was emitted as N2O(g) of 19.64 ppmv under only LL-added condition. On the other hand, SF led to the specific N2O(l) reduction rate (KN2O) of 6.70 mg N/g VSS hr, resulting in mitigation of 1.72 times the N2O(g) emission compared to under the only-LL-added condition. The present study revealed that N2O(g) emissions from biological landfill leachate treatment plants can be attenuated by simultaneous reduction of NO3-N and N2O(l) during enhanced denitrification via a stable supply of an external C-source retrieved from anaerobically fermented organic waste.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyeong Hwan Kang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Minseok Yang
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Shahbaz Raza
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Heejong Son
- Busan Water Authority, Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, 50804, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Kwon Park
- School of Environmental Engineering, University of Seoul, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul, 02504, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinhua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment in Universities of Shandong, College of Resources and Environment, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai'an, 271018, China.
| | - Young Mo Kim
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea.
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Flores L, Garfí M, Pena R, García J. Promotion of full-scale constructed wetlands in the wine sector: Comparison of greenhouse gas emissions with activated sludge systems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 770:145326. [PMID: 33736369 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Revised: 01/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to quantify and compare greenhouse gas (GHG) (i.e. carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4)) emissions from two full-scale winery wastewater and sludge treatment systems (i.e. constructed wetlands (CWs) and activated sludge system) located in Galicia (Spain). GHG fluxes were measured using the static chamber method in combination with an on-site Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) gas analyser in the CWs system. These on-site innovative techniques proved to be very accurate and reliable. In the activated sludge treatment systems, the floating chamber method in combination with the FTIR gas analyser was used. Measurements were carried out during the vintage season, when winery wastewater has the highest flow and loads, and the rest of the year. Emission rates of CO2, N2O and CH4 in the CWs units (i.e. vertical flow, horizontal subsurface flow and sludge treatment wetlands) ranged from 1.35E+02 to 7.54E+04, 1.70E-01 to 3.09E+01 and - 3.05E+01 to 1.79E+03 mg m-2 day-1, respectively. In the case of the activated sludge units (i.e. reactor, secondary settler and sludge storage tank) emission rates of CO2, N2O and CH4 ranged from 1.56E+04 to 1.43E+05, 1.13E+01 to 4.75E+01 and 2.52E+01 to 1.01E+03 mg m-2 day-1, respectively. Seasonally, daily and instantaneous variability in emissions as well as spatial variability was found. Comparing CWs with the activated sludge system, surface emission rates were lower in the CWs system in both seasons considered. Results highlighted that CWs are suitable technologies that can help to reduce GHG emissions associated with winery wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Flores
- GEMMA-Group of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech, c/ Jordi Girona, 1-3, Building D1, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marianna Garfí
- GEMMA-Group of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech, c/ Jordi Girona, 1-3, Building D1, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rocío Pena
- Aimen, Polígono Industrial de Cataboi SUR-PPI-2 (Sector) 2, Parcela 3, 36418 O Porriño, Spain
| | - Joan García
- GEMMA-Group of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya-BarcelonaTech, c/ Jordi Girona, 1-3, Building D1, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain.
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Song MJ, Choi S, Bae WB, Lee J, Han H, Kim DD, Kwon M, Myung J, Kim YM, Yoon S. Identification of primary effecters of N 2O emissions from full-scale biological nitrogen removal systems using random forest approach. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 184:116144. [PMID: 32731040 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have long been recognized as point sources of N2O, a potent greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting agent. Multiple mechanisms, both biotic and abiotic, have been suggested to be responsible for N2O production from WWTPs, with basis on extrapolation from laboratory results and statistical analyses of metadata collected from operational full-scale plants. In this study, random forest (RF) analysis, a machine-learning approach for feature selection from highly multivariate datasets, was adopted to investigate N2O production mechanism in activated sludge tanks of WWTPs from a novel perspective. Standardized measurements of N2O effluxes coupled with exhaustive metadata collection were performed at activated sludge tanks of three biological nitrogen removal WWTPs at different times of the year. The multivariate datasets were used as inputs for RF analyses. Computation of the permutation variable importance measures returned biomass-normalized dissolved inorganic carbon concentration (DIC·VSS-1) and specific ammonia oxidation activity (sOURAOB) as the most influential parameters determining N2O emissions from the aerated zones (or phases) of activated sludge bioreactors. For the anoxic tanks, dissolved-organic-carbon-to-NO2-/NO3- ratio (DOC·(NO2--N + NO3--N)-1) was singled out as the most influential. These data analysis results clearly indicate disparate mechanisms for N2O generation in the oxic and anoxic activated sludge bioreactors, and provide evidences against significant contributions of N2O carryover across different zones or phases or niche-specific microbial reactions, with aerobic NH3/NH4+ oxidation to NO2- and anoxic denitrification predominantly responsible from aerated and anoxic zones or phases of activated sludge bioreactors, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Joon Song
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangki Choi
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Wo Bin Bae
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, 61005, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaejin Lee
- Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, United states
| | - Heejoo Han
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Daehyun D Kim
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Miye Kwon
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Jaewook Myung
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Mo Kim
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, Republic of Korea
| | - Sukhwan Yoon
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea.
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Corominas L, Byrne DM, Guest JS, Hospido A, Roux P, Shaw A, Short MD. The application of life cycle assessment (LCA) to wastewater treatment: A best practice guide and critical review. WATER RESEARCH 2020; 184:116058. [PMID: 32771688 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Revised: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been widely applied in the wastewater industry, but inconsistencies in assumptions and methods have made it difficult for researchers and practitioners to synthesize results from across studies. This paper presents a critical review of published LCAs related to municipal wastewater management with a focus on developing systematic guidance for researchers and practitioners to conduct LCA studies to inform planning, design, and optimization of wastewater management and infrastructure (wastewater treatment plants, WWTPs; collection and reuse systems; related treatment technologies and policies), and to support the development of new technologies to advance treatment objectives and the sustainability of wastewater management. The paper guides the reader step by step through LCA methodology to make informed decisions on i) the definition of the goal and scope, ii) the selection of the functional unit and system boundaries, iii) the selection of variables to include and their sources to obtain inventories, iv) the selection of impact assessment methods, and v) the selection of an effective approach for data interpretation and communication to decision-makers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lluís Corominas
- Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Emili Grahit 101, 17003, Girona, Spain; Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain.
| | - Diana M Byrne
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky, 161 Raymond Building, Lexington, KY, 40506, United States
| | - Jeremy S Guest
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2331 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, 205 N. Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL, 61801, United States
| | - Almudena Hospido
- CRETUS Institute, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Rúa Lope Gómez de Marzoa, S/n., 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Philippe Roux
- ITAP, Univ Montpellier, Irstea, Montpellier SupAgro, ELSA Research Group and ELSA-PACT Industrial Chair, Montpellier, France
| | - Andrew Shaw
- Black & Veatch, 4400 Post Oak Parkway, Suite 1200, Houston, TX, 77027, USA
| | - Michael D Short
- Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, South Australia, 5095, Australia
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Brotto AC, Annavajhala MK, Chandran K. Metatranscriptomic Investigation of Adaptation in NO and N 2O Production From a Lab-Scale Nitrification Process Upon Repeated Exposure to Anoxic-Aerobic Cycling. Front Microbiol 2018; 9:3012. [PMID: 30574136 PMCID: PMC6291752 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.03012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms of microbial adaptation to repeated anoxic-aerobic cycling were investigated by integrating whole community gene expression (metatranscriptomics) and physiological responses, including the production of nitric (NO) and nitrous (N2O) oxides. Anoxic-aerobic cycling was imposed for 17 days in a lab-scale full-nitrification mixed culture system. Prior to cycling, NO and N2O levels were sustained at 0.097 ± 0.006 and 0.054 ± 0.019 ppmv, respectively. Once the anoxic-aerobic cycling was initiated, peak emissions were highest on the first day (9.8 and 1.3 ppmv, respectively). By the end of day 17, NO production returned to pre-cycling levels (a peak of 0.12 ± 0.007 ppmv), while N2O production reached a new baseline (a peak of 0.32 ± 0.05 ppmv), one order of magnitude higher than steady-state conditions. Concurrently, post-cycling transcription of norBQ and nosZ returned to pre-cycling levels after an initial 5.7- and 9.5-fold increase, while nirK remained significantly expressed (1.6-fold) for the duration of and after cycling conditions. The imbalance in nirK and nosZ mRNA abundance coupled with continuous conversion of NO to N2O might explain the elevated post-cycling baseline for N2O. Metatranscriptomic investigation notably indicated possible NO production by NOB under anoxic-aerobic cycling through a significant increase in nirK expression. Opposing effects on AOB (down-regulation) and NOB (up-regulation) CO2 fixation were observed, suggesting that nitrifying bacteria are differently impacted by anoxic-aerobic cycling. Genes encoding the terminal oxidase of the electron transport chain (ccoNP, coxBC) were the most significantly transcribed, highlighting a hitherto unexplored pathway to manage high electron fluxes resulting from increased ammonia oxidation rates, and leading to overall, increased NO and N2O production. In sum, this study identified underlying metabolic processes and mechanisms contributing to NO and N2O production through a systems-level interrogation, which revealed the differential ability of specific microbial groups to adapt to sustained operational conditions in engineered biological nitrogen removal processes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kartik Chandran
- Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
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Caivano M, Bellandi G, Mancini IM, Masi S, Brienza R, Panariello S, Gori R, Caniani D. Monitoring the aeration efficiency and carbon footprint of a medium-sized WWTP: experimental results on oxidation tank and aerobic digester. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2017; 38:629-638. [PMID: 27367525 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2016.1205150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The efficiency of aeration systems should be monitored to guarantee suitable biological processes. Among the available tools for evaluating the aeration efficiency, the off-gas method is one of the most useful. Increasing interest towards reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from biological processes has resulted in researchers using this method to quantify N2O and CO2 concentrations in the off-gas. Experimental measurements of direct GHG emissions from aerobic digesters (AeDs) are not available in literature yet. In this study, the floating hood technique was used for the first time to monitor AeDs. The floating hood technique was used to evaluate oxygen transfer rates in an activated sludge (AS) tank of a medium-sized municipal wastewater treatment plant located in Italy. Very low values of oxygen transfer efficiency were found, confirming that small-to-medium-sized plants are often scarcely monitored and wrongly managed. Average CO2 and N2O emissions from the AS tank were 0.14 kgCO2/kgbCOD and 0.007 kgCO2,eq/kgbCOD, respectively. For an AeD, 3 × 10-10 kgCO2/kgbCOD direct CO2 emissions were measured, while CO2,eq emissions from N2O were 4 × 10-9 kgCO2,eq/kgbCOD. The results for the AS tank and the AeD were used to estimate the net carbon and energy footprint of the entire plant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marianna Caivano
- a School of Engineering , University of Basilicata , Potenza , Italy
| | - Giacomo Bellandi
- b Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering - DICEA , University of Florence , Florence , Italy
| | - Ignazio M Mancini
- a School of Engineering , University of Basilicata , Potenza , Italy
| | - Salvatore Masi
- a School of Engineering , University of Basilicata , Potenza , Italy
| | | | | | - Riccardo Gori
- b Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering - DICEA , University of Florence , Florence , Italy
| | - Donatella Caniani
- a School of Engineering , University of Basilicata , Potenza , Italy
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Mannina G, Morici C, Cosenza A, Di Trapani D, Ødegaard H. Greenhouse gases from sequential batch membrane bioreactors: A pilot plant case study. Biochem Eng J 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2016.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Eusebi AL, Santinelli M, Battistoni P. Production of nitrogen oxide gases from an oxic/anoxic process via nitrite: influence of liquid parameters and impact on mass balance. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2015; 36:1213-1222. [PMID: 25367331 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2014.983552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
The produced nitrogen oxides from the biological treatment of swine and dairy anaerobic supernatant are evaluated. The quantification of the emissions has been conducted in a continuous way and coupled with batch tests to determine the mechanisms of formation. Using a continuous monitoring system, N2O and NO forms are present in higher quantities than NO2. The elevated emissions are linked with the increment of the influent nitrogen load both in the daily variations and in the long period. The NH4-N and NO2-N accumulations are recognized as the main parameters which determine the great nitrogen oxide emissions even at dissolved oxygen concentration of around 2 mgL(-1). The nitrogen oxides' impacts are between 0.0034 and 0.0044N% for the N2O and between 0.0020 and 0.0026N% for NO. A strict dependence between the N2O and the oxidation reduction potential is found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Laura Eusebi
- a Dipartimento SIMAU, Facoltà di Ingegneria , Università Politecnica delle Marche , Via Brecce Bianche, 12, Ancona 60100 , Italy
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