Partial nitritation and anammox of a livestock manure digester liquor and analysis of its microbial community

Recurrent multi-stressor floc treatments with sulphide and free ammonia enabled mainstream partial nitritation/anammox

Selective suppression of nitrite-oxidising bacteria (NOB) over aerobic and anoxic ammonium-oxidising bacteria (AerAOB and AnAOB) remains a major challenge for mainstream partial nitritation/anammox implementation, a resource-efficient nitrogen removal pathway. A unique multi-stressor floc treatment was therefore designed and validated for the first time under lab-scale conditions while staying true to full-scale design principles. Two hybrid (suspended + biofilm growth) reactors were operated continuously at 20.2 ± 0.6 °C. Recurrent multi-stressor floc treatments were applied, consisting of a sulphide-spiked deoxygenated starvation followed by a free ammonia shock. A good microbial activity balance with high AnAOB (71 ± 21 mg N L-1 d-1) and low NOB (4 ± 17 % of AerAOB) activity was achieved by combining multiple operational strategies: recurrent multi-stressor floc treatments, hybrid sludge (flocs & biofilm), short floc age control, intermittent aeration, and residual ammonium control. The multi-stressor treatment was shown to be the most important control tool and should be continuously applied to maintain this balance. Excessive NOB growth on the biofilm was avoided despite only treating the flocs to safeguard the AnAOB activity on the biofilm. Additionally, no signs of NOB adaptation were observed over 142 days. Elevated effluent ammonium concentrations (25 ± 6 mg N L-1) limited the TN removal efficiency to 39 ± 9 %, complicating a future full-scale implementation. Operating at higher sludge concentrations or reducing the volumetric loading rate could overcome this issue. The obtained results ease the implementation of mainstream PN/A by providing and additional control tool to steer the microbial activity with the multi-stressor treatment, thus advancing the concept of energy neutrality in sewage treatment plants.

Effects of organic carbon and sulfide on the anammox reaction in the anoxic column in the SRDAPN process for treating high-strength wastewater

Low energy consumption treatment of high-strength wastewater is crucial in controlling groundwater pollution and eutrophication in closed waterbodies. In this study, the sulfate reduction, denitrification/anammox, and partial nitrification (SRDAPN) process, which is an effective organic carbon and nitrogen removal process with low energy consumption for low strength wastewater, was applied to treat livestock wastewater with high COD and sulfate concentration, and microbial reaction and community were examined using an anaerobic-anoxic biological filter reactor that simulates circulation from an aerobic reactor. At a total organic carbon loading rate of 2.7-5.8 kgC/m³·day, sulfate reduction and methane production occurred simultaneously in the anaerobic column of the reactor. Specifically, sulfate reduction resulted in organic matter removal rates of 38 and 26% at ambient temperature and 25 °C, respectively. Furthermore, both heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrification occurred in the anoxic column, and when the organic loading rate in the anoxic reactor was below 0.2 kgC/m³·day, 33%-37% of ammonium and 33%-34% of nitrite were removed by the anammox reaction. Heterotrophic denitrification bacteria (Thauera, Comamonas, and Denitratisoma) and sulfur denitrification bacteria (Sulfurimonas denitrificans) grew in the lower and middle parts of the anoxic column, whereas anammox bacteria (2.5% of Candidatus Brocadia at ambient temperature and 9.4% of Candidatus Kuenenia at 25 °C) grew in the upper part of the anoxic column. These results indicate that the SRDAPN process based on sulfur cycle and anammox is useful for treatment of high strength wastewater with low energy consumption.

Biological nutrient removal and recovery from solid and liquid livestock manure: Recent advance and perspective

Rapid development of livestock industry produces large amount of livestock manure rich in nutrients, organic matters, antibiotics, and heavy metals, thus imposes great harms to human and environment, if the manure is not suitably treated. Biological removal and recovery of nutrients from manure as agriculture fertilizer is attractive due to low cost and simple operation. This review offers an overview of recent development in biological nutrient removal and recovery from livestock manure. Livestock manure is divided into solid manure and liquid manure. Composting and anaerobic digestion of solid manure are fully discussed and important parameters are investigated. Then various processes of nutrient removal and recovery from liquid manure are summarized. Brief economic sustainability and eco-environmental effects are carried out. Finally, current challenges and future prospects in this field are analyzed.

Microbial characteristics of nitrifiers, denitrifiers and anammox bacteria on different support media to treat space mission wastewater

Biomass attachment and growth are important factors for the startup and stability of fixed-film biological reactors being proposed to recycle wastewater for potable water use in manned space activity. Eight different biofilm support media commonly used in wastewater treatment plants, aquaculture, and aquariums were compared for their relative ability to support attachment and growth of nitrifiers, denitrifiers, and anaerobic ammonia oxidizing (anammox) bacteria biomass. Accumulated total biomass was determined by comparing dry weight of each media before and after culturing of biomass. Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization (FISH) analysis was used to quantify the proportion and relative activity of each organism group on each media. Measurements of dry biomass normalized to several media properties showed polyether polyurethane foam to have the highest extent of specific biomass attachment and colonization. Six of the eight media were able to sustain a population of anammox bacteria that was more abundant than the other cohorts.

Microeukaryote community in a partial nitritation reactor prior to anammox and an insight into the potential of ciliates as performance bioindicators

An in-depth, long-term, multidisciplinary study was conducted in order to study the microeukaryote community in a partial nitritation (PN) reactor prior to anammox. The PN reactor operated with moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) technology, using plastic supports (carriers) for biofilm development. The microeukaryote community from the biofilm (BF) and the surrounding media (mixed liquor or ML) were analysed separately. Despite the physicochemical conditions under which the PN-MBBR operated (an average of 305.9±117mg TAN l^-1 and 328.4±131.9mg N-NO₂^- l^-1), up to 24 microeukaryotic taxa were observed by microscope. Microeukaryote species showed an uneven distribution in the PN-MBBR, thus suggesting the existence of two habitats: the BF, preferred by species with specific structures for adhering to a substrate, such as the stalked Peritrichia, and the ML, preferred by free-swimming or non-substrate dependent species. The results indicated that most ciliate population dynamics mainly responded to the nitrous acid and free ammonia concentrations and, to a lesser extent, to sCOD values. In the BF, variations in the population of Epistylis camprubii and Opercularia coarctata suggest the existence of competition between these species due to niche overlap. A V4 18S rDNA molecular survey (Illumina) was carried out for some samples with the aim of obtaining maximum coverage of the main eukaryote species that were microscopically detected throughout the study. The diversity and abundance data provided by both detection methods were compared. The study helped identify broader tolerance ranges of the microeukaryote taxa to the physicochemical parameters analysed.

Performance and microbial features of the partial nitritation-anammox process treating fish canning wastewater with variable salt concentrations

The partial nitritation-anammox (PN-AMX) process applied to wastewaters with high NaCl concentration was studied until now using simulated media, without considering the effect of organic matter concentration and the shift in microbial populations. This research work presents results on the application of this process to the treatment of saline industrial wastewater. Obtained results indicated that the PN-AMX process has the capability to recover its initial activity after a sudden/acute salt inhibition event (up to 16 g NaCl/L). With a progressive salt concentration increase for 150 days, the PN-AMX process was able to remove the 80% of the nitrogen at 7-9 g NaCl/L. The microbiological data indicated that NaCl and ammonia concentrations and temperature are important factors shaping PN-AMX communities. Thus, the NOB abundance (Nitrospira) decreases with the increase of the salt concentration, while heterotrophic denitrifiers are able to outcompete anammox after a peak of organic matter in the feeding.

Operational strategies and environmental conditions inducing aerobic denitritation in short-cut biological nitrogen removal at side-line treatment

Factors promoting aerobic denitritation in a pilot-scale short-cut biological nitrogen removal (SBNR) process were investigated. The study implemented optimization of nitrogen removal in the anaerobic reject water (ARW) having a low organic C:N ratio ARW was produced in a large-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Aerobic denitritation occurred consistently during study of a specific period of sequential batch reactor (SBR) where nitrite removal under fully aerobic conditions was obtained with a switch from oxygen to nitrite respiration, creating an aerobic (high oxidation-reduction potential) condition. Specific factors inducing aerobic denitritation were found related to several parameters as ammonium concentration, temperature, feeding mode, duration of the oxic stage and substrate availability due to beta-oxidation of lipid matter. Microbial analyses indicated a higher increase in nitrite reducing than ammonium oxidizing activity, as an evidence for nitrifying denitrifier bacterial dominance in the biomass. The reaction induced a reduction in the inhibitory products of the process as volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and free nitrous oxide (FNA), produced bicarbonate and increased removal efficiency of ammonium and nitrite, thus, total nitrogen. The outcome presents potential ways for further saving on aeration and chemical need via operational means, while taking advantage of the slowly degrading organic matter on SBNR performance.

Two-step partial nitritation/Anammox process in granulation reactors: Start-up operation and microbial characterization

A two-stage Partial Nitritation (PN)/Anammox process was carried out at lab-scale conditions to treat reject water from a municipal WWTP. PN was achieved in a granular SBR obtaining an effluent with a NH4(+)-N/NO2(-)-N molar ratio around 1.0. The microbial characterization of this reactor revealed a predominance of Betaproteobacteria, with a member of Nitrosomonas as the main autotrophic ammonium oxidizing bacterium (AOB). Nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) were under the detection limit of 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing, indicating their effective inhibition. The effluent of the PN reactor was fed to an Anammox SBR where stable operation was achieved with a NH4(+)-N:NO2(-)-N:NO3(-)-N stoichiometry of 1:1.25:0.14. The deviation to the theoretical stoichiometry could be attributed to the presence of heterotrophic biomass in the Anammox reactor (mainly members of Chlorobi and Chloroflexi). Planctomycetes accounted for 7% of the global community, being members of Brocadia (1.4% of the total abundance) the main anaerobic ammonium oxidizer detected.

Sustainable operation of submerged Anammox membrane bioreactor with recycling biogas sparging for alleviating membrane fouling

A submerged anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (Anammox) membrane bioreactor with recycling biogas sparging for alleviating membrane fouling has been successfully operated for 100d. Based on the batch tests, a recycling biogas sparging rate at 0.2m(3)h(-1) was fixed as an ultimate value for the sustainable operation. The mixed liquor volatile suspended solid (VSS) of the inoculum for the long operation was around 3000mgL(-1). With recycling biogas sparging rate increasing stepwise from 0 to 0.2m(3)h(-1), the reactor reached an influent total nitrogen (TN) up to 1.7gL(-1), a stable TN removal efficiency of 83% and a maximum specific Anammox activity (SAA) of 0.56kg TNkg(-1) VSSd(-1). With recycling biogas sparging rate at 0.2 m(3) h(-1) (corresponding to an aeration intensity of 118m(3)m(-2)h(-1)), the membrane operation circle could prolong by around 20 times compared to that without gas sparging. Furthermore, mechanism of membrane fouling was proposed. And with recycling biogas sparging, the VSS and EPS content increasing rate in cake layer were far less than the ones without biogas sparging. The TN removal performance and sustainable membrane operation of this system showed the appealing potential of the submerged Anammox MBR with recycling biogas sparging in treating high-strength nitrogen-containing wastewaters.

Integrated fixed-biofilm activated sludge reactor as a powerful tool to enrich anammox biofilm and granular sludge

A pilot-scale activated sludge bioreactor was filled with immobile carrier to treat high ammonium wastewater. Autotrophic nitrogen elimination occurred rapidly by inoculating nitrifying activated sludge and anammox biofilm. As the ammonium loading rate increased, nitrogen removal rate of 1.2kgNm(-3)d(-1) was obtained with the removal efficiency of 80%. Activated sludge diameter distribution profiles presented two peak values, indicating simultaneous existence of flocculent and granular sludge. Red granular sludge was observed in the reactor. Furthermore, the results of morphological and molecular analysis showed that the characteristics of granular sludge were similar to that of biofilm, while much different from the flocculent sludge. It was assumed granular sludge was formed through the continuous growth and detachment of anammox biofilm. The mechanism of granular sludge formation was discussed and the procedure model was proposed. According to the experimental results, the integrated fixed-biofilm activated sludge reactor provided an alternative to nitrogen removal based on anammox.

Nitrosomonas stercoris sp. nov., a Chemoautotrophic Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacterium Tolerant of High Ammonium Isolated from Composted Cattle Manure

Among ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, Nitrosomonas eutropha-like microbes are distributed in strongly eutrophic environments such as wastewater treatment plants and animal manure. In the present study, we isolated an ammonia-oxidizing bacterium tolerant of high ammonium levels, designated strain KYUHI-S^T, from composted cattle manure. Unlike the other known Nitrosomonas species, this isolate grew at 1,000 mM ammonium. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA and amoA genes indicated that the isolate belonged to the genus Nitrosomonas and formed a unique cluster with the uncultured ammonia oxidizers found in wastewater systems and animal manure composts, suggesting that these ammonia oxidizers contributed to removing higher concentrations of ammonia in strongly eutrophic environments. Based on the physiological and phylogenetic data presented here, we propose and call for the validation of the provisional taxonomic assignment Nitrosomonas stercoris, with strain KYUHI-S as the type strain (type strain KYUHI-S^T = NBRC 110753^T = ATCC BAA-2718^T).

Ammonium removal by partial nitritation and Anammox processes from wastewater with increased salinity

This work is dedicated to the biological treatment of wastewater with increased salinity using a combination of partial nitritation and Anammox processes. Two one-stage deammonification moving bed biofilm reactors were operated with the increase in NaCl concentration every two weeks by 5 and 2.5 g/L. The strategy with a step of 5 g/L of salinity increase led to complete inhibition of the process at the salinity level of 15 g/L. The strategy with a step of 2.5 g/L gave possibility to adapt bacteria to the elevated salinity. After reaching the salinity level of 10 g NaCl/L, the reactor was operated during 92 days with a nitrogen removal rate of 0.39±0.19 g N/(m2·day) (0.078±0.038 kg N/m3·day) and an average nitrogen removal efficiency of 59%. It was shown that conductivity cannot be used for monitoring the process when a reactor is treating wastewater with increased salinity, whereas pH can be correlated to effluent ammonium concentration regardless of wastewater salinity.

Autotrophic nitrogen removal by a two-step SBR process applied to mixed agro-digestate

The aim of this research was to evaluate the applicability of partial-nitritation/anammox processes for biological N removal from a centrifuge supernatant coming from a full scale anaerobic digester fed on a mixture of piggery manure, poultry manure, and agro-wastes. Stable partial nitritation was achieved at pilot-scale (650L SBR), obtaining a suitable influent for the anammox lab-scale SBR reactor (3L). The anammox lab scale reactor was fed with increasing fractions of the partial nitritation effluent, blended with synthetic wastewater. In the last 100days no dilution was used. The nitrogen loading rate applied to the anammox reactor was 0.5-0.6gNL(-)(1)d(-)(1) and the average nitrogen removal was 91±10%. During the first days of operation with undiluted supernatant, the maximum anammox activity in the SBR decreased, but recovered afterwards, suggesting the ability of the anammox biomass to acclimate to the wastewater. N2O emissions in both reactors were also measured.

Bacterial community structure of a lab-scale anammox membrane bioreactor

Autotrophic nitrogen removal technologies have proliferated through the last decade. Among these, a promising one is the membrane bioreactor (MBR) Anammox, which can achieve very high solids retention time and therefore sets a proper environment for the cultivation of anammox bacteria. In this sense, the MBR Anammox is an efficient technology for the treatment of effluents with low organic carbon and high ammonium concentrations once it has been treated under partial nitrification systems. A lab-scale MBR Anammox bioreactor has been built at the Technological University of Delft, The Netherlands and has been proven for efficient nitrogen removal and efficient cultivation of anammox bacteria. In this study, next-generation sequencing techniques have been used for the investigation of the bacterial communities of this MBR Anammox for the first time ever. A strong domination of Candidatus Brocadia bacterium and also the presence of a myriad of other microorganisms that have adapted to this environment were detected, suggesting that the MBR Anammox bioreactor might have a more complex microbial ecosystem that it has been thought. Among these, nitrate-reducing heterotrophs and primary producers, among others, were identified. Definition of the ecological roles of the OTUs identified through metagenomic analysis was discussed.

Start-up and bacterial communities of single-stage nitrogen removal using anammox and partial nitritation (SNAP) for treatment of high strength ammonia wastewater

In this study, a lab-scale sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) was used to start up the single-stage nitrogen removal system using anammox and partial nitritation (SNAP) process seeding from surplus activated sludge. The volumetric nitrogen loading rate (vNLR) was firstly 0.075 kg N m(-3) d(-1) and then gradually increased to 0.60 kg N m(-3) d(-1). A maximal total nitrogen (TN) removal rate of 0.54 kg N m(-3) d(-1) was achieved by the SNAP process after 132 days operation with NH4(+)-N and TN removal efficiency of 99.4% and 90.5%, respectively. This reactor may have applications for the SNAP process treating high strength ammonia wastewater. And dewatered surplus activated sludge was recommended as the seed sludge for engineering applications. The dominant bacterial strains were Xanthomonas campestris, Nitrosomonas europaea and Ignavibacterium album, corresponding to the percentage of 24%, 22% and 20%, respectively, based on the 16S rDNA amplicon pyrosequencing of the SNAP sludge.

Comparative performance of air-lift partial nitritation processes with attached growth and suspended growth without biomass retention

Partial nitritation is an essential first step in anaerobic ammonium oxidation. This study compared the performance of air-lift partial nitritation reactors with attached growth (AG) and suspended growth (SG) without biomass retention using ammonium-rich recirculated liquor produced from the dewatering of anaerobically digested sludge. The steady-state results showed that the AG can effectively retain ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) with high activity and allow minimizing biomass discharge (approximately 10 mg volatile suspended solids/L) in the effluent. The nitrogen loading (based on the total reactor volume) satisfying the effluent characteristics could be suggested to be 0.42 g N/L/d for the SG, and 0.76 g N/L/d for the AG, respectively. Compared with the SG, the AG achieved a higher ammonium loading rate (approximately 1.8 times), maximal ammonium oxidation activity (48 mg N/L-h based on liquid-phase volume) under a short hydraulic retention time (HRT) and a long solids retention time (SRT > 80 d). The overall performance confirmed that AG is a promising configuration for partial nitritation in terms of the process stability, maximization of the AOB activity and minimization of the effluent biomass under a short HRT and high nitrogen loading rate.

Partial nitritation and o-cresol removal with aerobic granular biomass in a continuous airlift reactor

Several chemical industries produce wastewaters containing both, ammonium and phenolic compounds. As an alternative to treat this kind of complex industrial wastewaters, this study presents the simultaneous partial nitritation and o-cresol biodegradation in a continuous airlift reactor using aerobic granular biomass. An aerobic granular sludge was developed in the airlift reactor for treating a high-strength ammonium wastewater containing 950 ± 25 mg N-NH4(+) L(-1). Then, the airlift reactor was bioaugmented with a p-nitrophenol-degrading activated sludge and o-cresol was added progressively to the ammonium feed to achieve 100 mg L(-1). The results showed that stable partial nitritation and full biodegradation of o-cresol were simultaneously maintained obtaining a suitable effluent for a subsequent anammox reactor. Moreover, two o-cresol shock-load events with concentrations of 300 and 1000 mg L(-1) were applied to assess the capabilities of the system. Despite these shock load events, the partial nitritation process was kept stable and o-cresol was totally biodegraded. Fluorescence in situ hybridization technique was used to identify the heterotrophic bacteria related to o-cresol biodegradation and the ammonia oxidising bacteria along the granules.

Simultaneous nitritation and p-nitrophenol removal using aerobic granular biomass in a continuous airlift reactor

The chemical and petrochemical industries produce wastewaters containing ammonium and phenolic compounds. Biological treatment of these wastewaters could be problematic due to the possible inhibitory effects exerted by phenolic compounds. The feasibility of performing simultaneous nitritation and p-nitrophenol (PNP) biodegradation using a continuous aerobic granular reactor was evaluated. A nitrifying granular sludge was bioaugmented with a PNP-degrading floccular sludge, while PNP was progressively added to the feed containing a high ammonium concentration. Nitritation was sustained throughout the operational period with ca. 85% of ammonium oxidation and less than 0.3% of nitrate in the effluent. PNP biodegradation was unstable and the oxygen limiting condition was found to be the main explanation for this unsteadiness. An increase in dissolved oxygen concentration from 2.0 to 4.5 mg O2 L(-1) significantly enhanced PNP removal, achieving total elimination. Acinetobacter genus and ammonia-oxidising bacteria were the predominant bacteria species in the granular biomass.

Nitrous oxide reduction genetic potential from the microbial community of an intermittently aerated partial nitritation SBR treating mature landfill leachate

This study investigates the microbial community dynamics in an intermittently aerated partial nitritation (PN) SBR treating landfill leachate, with emphasis to the nosZ encoding gene. PN was successfully achieved and high effluent stability and suitability for a later anammox reactor was ensured. Anoxic feedings allowed denitrifying activity in the reactor. The influent composition influenced the mixed liquor suspended solids concentration leading to variations of specific operational rates. The bacterial community was low diverse due to the stringent conditions in the reactor, and was mostly enriched by members of Betaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes as determined by 16S rRNA sequencing from excised DGGE melting types. The qPCR analysis for nitrogen cycle-related enzymes (amoA, nirS, nirK and nosZ) demonstrated high amoA enrichment but being nirS the most relatively abundant gene. nosZ was also enriched from the seed sludge. Linear correlation was found mostly between nirS and the organic specific rates. Finally, Bacteroidetes sequenced in this study by 16S rRNA DGGE were not sequenced for nosZ DGGE, indicating that not all denitrifiers deal with complete denitrification. However, nosZ encoding gene bacteria was found during the whole experiment indicating the genetic potential to reduce N2O.

Nitrogen removal from opto-electronic wastewater using the simultaneous partial nitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation and denitrification (SNAD) process in sequencing batch reactor

Simultaneous partial nitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation and denitrification (SNAD) system was applied to treat the opto-electronic industrial wastewater in a 2.5L sequencing batch reactor. The characteristics of wastewater were low C/N ratio (≈ 0.2) with 100mg-COD/L and 567 mg NH(4)(+)-N/L. The experiment was carried out over 8 months in six different stages, where nitrogen loading rate was gradually increased from 16 g-N/m(3)d in stage I to 230 g-N/m(3)d in stage VI. The COD and nitrogen removal rates by the SNAD system reached to 28 g COD/m(3)d and 197 g NH(4)(+)-N/m(3)d, respectively in stage VI. These results showed that the SNAD system is suitable to treat wastewater containing high nitrogen pollutants with low COD level. Presence of ammonium oxidizing bacteria and anammox bacteria were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR results also indicated that Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis may be one of the dominant species in the reactor.

Effects of Fe(II) and Fe(III) on the single-stage deammonification process treating high-strength reject water from sludge dewatering

Iron (Fe) is often encountered in wastewaters. This study investigated the effects of iron on the single-stage deammonification process treating reject water from sludge dewatering. When Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) concentrations in the influent were below 1.3mg/L and 0.4 mg/L, Fe(2+) incorporation was found to be linearly correlated with NH(4)(+)-N removal. However, the excess Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) drastically deteriorated the deammonification performance. Both of the reactor performance and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization results suggested higher sensitivity of autotrophic bacteria to iron than heterotrophs, the sequence of which was assessed to anammox bacteria>aerobic ammonium oxidizers>hetetrophic denitrifiers. With the excess existence of iron, extracellular substances were largely released by bacterial cells, which were the likely sites for iron uptake by scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The information provided here would be useful to facilitate the application of deammonification process in the treatment of wastewater including metal iron.

Impact of influent characteristics on a partial nitritation SBR treating high nitrogen loaded wastewater

The Anammox process allows a sustainable treatment of wastewater with high nitrogen content. Partial oxidation of ammonium to nitrite is a previous and crucial step. Given the variability on wastewater composition, the operation of sequencing batch reactors (SBR) for partial nitritation (PN) is very challenging. This work assessed the combined influence of influent characteristics and process loading rate. Simulation results showed that wastewater composition - Total nitrogen as ammonia (TNH) and total inorganic carbon (TIC) - as well as nitrogen loading rate (NLR) govern the outcomes of the reactor. A suitable effluent can be produced when treating wastewater with different ammonia levels, as long as the TIC:TNH influent molar ratio is around 1:1 and extreme NLR are avoided. The influent pH has a key impact on nitrite conversion by governing the CO(2)-bicarbonate-carbonate equilibrium. Finally, results showed that oxidation of biodegradable organic matter produces CO(2), which acidifies the media and limits process conversion.

Synthesis of nano-zeolite from coal fly ash and its potential for nutrient sequestration from anaerobically digested swine wastewater

The treatment of anaerobically digested swine wastewater (ADSW) is problematic due to its high nutrient concentration. This study investigated the simultaneous sequestration of ammonium (N) and phosphate (P) from ADSW using nano-zeolites synthesized from fly ash (ZFA). The nanometer-scale crystalline structures plentiful of zeolite-NaP1 coating on ZFA particle increased the levels of specific surface area and cation exchange capacity at times of 40 and 104, compared to raw fly ash. Kinetic N and P sorption experiments with ZFA were well described by both the Langmuir and Freundlich models, suggesting the co-existence of homogeneous and heterogeneous sorption mechanisms. N and P removal efficiencies ranged from 41% to 95% and 75% to 98%, respectively, across a range of ZFA doses (from 0.25 to 8g/100ml). Collectively, application of the laboratory-synthesized ZFA can alleviate the nutrient loads in ADSW and therefore modify the ratio of N:P in wastewater beneficial for subsequent biological treatment.

Trace elements enhance biofilm formation in UASB reactor for solo simple molecule wastewater treatment

In this paper, trace elements (TE) adding was investigated in one bench-scale UASB reactor treating solo simple molecule wastewater with the aim of evaluating its effect on enhancing biofilm formation. After adding sufficient TE (3 mL/L) in the influent, during 3 days, COD removal efficiency increased from 74% to 90% comparing to no adding TE. Over 55 days of operation, the organic loading rate (OLR) reached 11 g/L/day with COD removal efficiencies greater than 90%. While in the steady running period no effect even improvement on treatment performance was observed without any TE adding. The results illuminated that TE accounted for quick start-up of the UASB biofilm system rather than ever known biocatalyst.

Development of long-term stable partial nitrification and subsequent anammox process

The partial nitrification reactor was successfully started up and operated stably for more than 250 days with a maximum nitrite production rate of 1.12 kg-Nm(-3)day(-1). The important factors for successful partial nitrification were high ammonium loading rate (>1.0 kg-Nm(-3)day(-1)) and relatively high pH (ca. 8.0), giving high free ammonia concentrations (>10mg NH(3)-NL(-1)). In addition, the air flow rate must be controlled at the ratio of air flow rate to ammonium loading rate below 0.1 (m(air)(3)day(-1))/(kg-Nm(-3)day(-1)). After the establishment of stable partial nitrification, the effluent NO(2)(-)-N/NH(4)(+)-N ratio and effluent NO(3)(-)-N concentration were 1.20 ± 0.33 and 1.2 ± 1.0mg-NL(-1), respectively, which was then fed into an granular-sludge anammox reactor. Consistent nitrogen removal was achieved for more than 250 days with a maximum nitrogen removal rate of 15.0 kg-TNm(-3)day(-1).