Comparative study of two biological nitrogen removal processes:A/O process and step-feeding process

Two biological nitrogen removal processes are compared in the aspect of nitrogen removal, process operation and energy saving. Results show that when the returned sludge ratio is 50% of the inflow rate, the step-feeding process achieves over 80% total nitrogen （TN） removal efficiency, but the TN removal efficiency of the A/O process is only 40%. Moreover, filamentous sludge bulking can be well restrained in the step-feeding process. Given the conditions of a returned sludge ratio of 100% and a nitrifying liquor recycle ratio of 200%, the TN removal efficiency is 78.32% in the A/O process, but the sludge volume index （SVI） value increases to 143 mL/g. In the step-feeding process, the SVI is only 94.4 mL/g when the TN removal efficiency reaches 81. 1%. The step-feeding process has distinct advantages over the A/O process in the aspects of practicability, nitrogen removal and operating stability.

Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in step feeding biological nitrogen removal process

The simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in step-feeding biological nitrogen removal process were investigated under different influent substrate concentrations and aeration flow rates. Biological occurrence of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification was verified in the aspect of nitrogen mass balance and alkalinity. The experimental results also showed that there was a distinct linear relationship between simultaneous nitrification and denitrification and DO concentration under the conditions of low and high aeration flow rate. In each experimental run the floc sizes of activated sludge were also measured and the results showed that simultaneous nitrification and denitrification could occur with very small size of floc.

Achieving and maintaining biological nitrogen removal via nitrite under normal conditions

The principal aim of this paper is to develop an approach to realize stable biological nitrogen removal via nitrite under normal conditions. Validation of the new method was established on laboratory-scale experiments applying the sequencing batch reactor（SBR） activated sludge process to domestic wastewater with low C/N ratio. The addition of sodium chloride（NaCI） to influent was established to achieve nitrite build-up. The high nitrite accumulation, depending on the salinity in influent and the application duration of salt, was obtained in SBRs treating saline wastewater. The maintenance results indicated that the real-time SBRs can maintain stable nitrite accumulation, but conversion from shorter nitrification-denitrification to full nitrification-denitrification was observed after some operation cycles in the other SBR with fixed-time control. The presented method is valuable to offer a solution to realize and to maintain nitrogen removal via nitrite under normal conditions.

Development and Experimental Evaluation of a Steady-state Model for the Step-feed Biological Nitrogen Removal Process

In this article,a steady-state mathematical model was developed and experimentally evaluated to inves- tigate the effect of influent flow distribution and volume ratios of anoxic and aerobic zones in each stage on the to- tal nitrogen concentration of the effluent in the step-feed biological nitrogen removal process.Unlike the previous modeling methods,this model can be used to calculate the removal rates of ammonia and nitrate in each stage and thereby predict the concentrations of ammonia,nitrate,and total nitrogen in the effluent.To verify the simulation results,pilot-scale experimental studies were carried out in a four-stage step feed process.Good correlations were achieved between the measured data and the simulation results,which proved the validity of the developed model. The sensitivity of the model predictions was analyzed.After verification of the validity,the step feed process was optimally operated for five months using the model and the criteria developed for the design and operation.During the pilot-scale experimental period,the effluent total nitrogen concentrations were all below 5mg·L -1 ,with more than 90%removal efficiency.

Effect of Sludge Retention Time on Nitrite Accumulation in Real-time Control Biological Nitrogen Removal Sequencing Batch Reactor

In this study,four sequencing batch reactors(SBR),with the sludge retention time(SRT)of 5,10,20 and 40 d,were used to treat domestic wastewater,and the effect of SRT on nitrite accumulation in the biological nitrogen removal SBR was investigated.The real-time control strategy based on online parameters,such as pH,dissolved oxygen(DO)and oxidation reduction potential(ORP),was used to regulate the nitrite accumulation in SBR. The model-based simulation and experimental results showed that with the increase of SRT,longer time was needed to achieve high level of nitritation.In addition,the nitrite accumulation rate(NAR)was higher when the SRT was relatively shorter during a 112-day operation.When the SRT was 5 d,the system was unstable with the mixed liquor suspended solids(MLSS)decreased day after day.When the SRT was 40 d,the nitrification process was significantly inhibited.SRT of 10 to 20 d was more suitable in this study.The real-time control strategy combined with SRT control in SBR is an effective method for biological nitrogen removal via nitrite from wastewater.

Nitrogen Removal Efficiencies for Two Biological Nutrient Removal （BNR） Plants in Thailand： Molasses as an External Carbon Source for Enriched Denitrifying Culture in a BNR Process

Two biological nutrient removal （BNR） wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs） in Thailand were selected for study： the Nonghkaem WWTP and the Suvarnabhumi Airport WWTP. For each site the influents, effluents, and supernatant liquids from anaerobic sludge digesters were analyzed for total Kjeldahl nitrogen （TKN）, total nitrogen （TN）, total chemical oxygen demand （TCOD）, biodegradable chemical oxygen demand （bCOD）, and biochemical oxygen demand （BOD）. Nitrogen removal efficiencies in the Nonghkaem WWTP and the Suvarnabhumi Airport WWTP were evaluated. Inadequate nitrogen removal at the Nonghkaem centralized WWTP was found during the summer period. Influent ratios of bCOD：N at the Nonghkaem plant and the Suvarnabhumi Airport plant were 2.42：1-5.45：1 and 4.1：1-6.5：1, respectively. The efficacy of addition of molasses as a carbon source for enriched denitrifying culture in a BNR process at Nonghkaem was studied. Fluorescent in situ hybridization technique （FISH） was used to identify specific nitrifying bacteria （Nitrosomonas spp., Nitrobacter spp. and Nitrospira spp.）. Nitrospira spp. was the most prevalent species in the aeration tank at the Nonghkaem WWTP. This result from FISH suggests that there were significantly low oxygen and nitrite concentration in the aeration tank at the Nonghkaem WWTP during a period of low nitrogen removal.

A Combined System for Biological Removal of Nitrogen and Carbon from Nylon-6 Production Wastewater

A combined system consisting of hydrolysis acidification, denitrification and nitrification reactors was used to remove carbon and nitrogen from the nylon - 6 production wastewater, which was characterized by good biodegradability and high nitrogen concentration. The influences of Chemical Oxygen Demand （COD） in the influent, recirculation ratio, Hydraulic Residence Time （HRT） and Dissolved Oxygen （DO） concentration on the system performances were investigated. From results it could be seen that good performances have been achieved during the overall experiments periods, and COD, Total Nitrogen （TN）, NH^＋ -N and Suspended Solids （SS） in the effluent were 53, 16, 2 and 24 mg· L^-1, respectively, which has satisfied the first standard of wastewater discharge established by Environmental Protection Agency （EPA） of China. Furthermore, results showed that operation factors, viz. COD in the influent, recirculation ratio, HRT and DO concentration, all had important influences on the system performances.

An autotrophic nitrogen removal process:Short-cut nitrification combined with ANAMMOX for treating diluted effluent from an UASB reactor fed by landfill leachate

A combined process consisting of a short-cut nitrification （SN） reactor and an anaerobic ammonium oxidation upflow anaerobic sludge bed （ANAMMOX） reactor was developed to treat the diluted effluent from an upflow anaerobic sludge bed （UASB） reactor treating high ammonium municipal landfill leachate.The SN process was performed in an aerated upflow sludge bed （AUSB） reactor （working volume 3.05 L）,treating about 50% of the diluted raw wastewater.The ammonium removal efficiency and the ratio of NO 2 N to NOx-N in the effluent were both higher than 80%,at a maximum nitrogen loading rate of 1.47 kg/（m 3 ·day）.The ANAMMOX process was performed in an UASB reactor （working volume 8.5 L）,using the mix of SN reactor effluent and diluted raw wastewater at a ratio of 1：1.The ammonium and nitrite removal efficiency reached over 93% and 95%,respectively,after 70-day continuous operation,at a maximum total nitrogen loading rate of 0.91 kg/（m 3 ·day）,suggesting a successful operation of the combined process.The average nitrogen loading rate of the combined system was 0.56 kg/（m 3 ·day）,with an average total inorganic nitrogen removal efficiency 87%.The nitrogen in the effluent was mostly nitrate.The results provided important evidence for the possibility of applying SN-ANAMMOX after UASB reactor to treat municipal landfill leachate.

Enhanced Nutrient Removal with Upflow Biological Aerated Filter for Reclaimed Water

A two-stage upflow biological aerated filter was designed as an advanced treatment process to optimize the operating parameters and study the correlative factors influencing the efficiency of nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal. The experimental results showed that the final effluent of the two-stage upflow biofilter process operated in series could meet the stringent limits of the reclaimed water for the total nitrogen of 2 mg/L, and total phosphorus of 0.3 mg/L. The high treatment efficiency allowed the reactor operating at very high hydraulic loadings and reaching nearly complete nitrification and denitrifieation.

Nitrogen and phosphorus removal in pilot-scale anaerobic-anoxic oxidation ditch system

To achieve high efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus removal and to investigate the rule of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification phosphorus removal （SNDPR）, a whole course of SNDPR damage and recovery was studied in a pilot-scale, anaerobicanoxic oxidation ditch （OD）, where the volumes of anaerobic zone, anoxic zone, and ditches zone of the OD system were 7, 21, and 280 L, respectively. The reactor was fed with municipal wastewater with a flow rate of 336 L/d. The concept of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification （SND） rate （rSND） was put forward to quantify SND. The results indicate that： （1） high nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies were achieved during the stable SND phase, total nitrogen （TN） and total phosphate （TP） removal rates were 80% and 85%, respectively; （2） when the system was aerated excessively, the stability of SND was damaged, and rSND dropped from 80% to 20% or less; （3） the natural logarithm of the ratio of NOx to NH4^＋ in the effluent had a linear correlation to oxidation-reduction potential （ORP）; （4） when NO3^- was less than 6 mg/L, high phosphorus removal efficiency could be achieved; （5） denitrifying phosphorus removal （DNPR） could take place in the anaerobic-anoxic OD system. The major innovation was that the SND rate was devised and quantified.

Removal of nitrogen and phosphorus in a combined A^2/O-BAF system with a short aerobic SRT

A bench-scale anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic process-biological aerated filter （A^2/O-BAF） combined system was carded out to treat wastewater with lower C/N and C/P ratios. The A^2/O process was operated in a short aerobic sludge retention time （SRT） for organic pollutants and phosphorus removal, and denitrification. The subsequent BAF process was mainly used for nitrification. The BAF effluent was partially returned to anoxic zone of the A^2/O process to provide electron acceptors for denitrification and anoxic P uptake. This unique system formed an environment for reproducing the denitdfying phosphate-accumulating organisms （DPAOs）. The ratio of DPAOs to phosphorus accumulating organisms （PAOs） could be maintained at 28% by optimizing the organic loads in the anaerobic zone and the nitrate loads into the anoxic zone in the A^2/O process. The aerobic phosphorus over-uptake and discharge of excess activated sludge was the main mechanism of phosphorus removal in the combined system. The aerobic SRT of the A^2/O process should meet the demands for the development of aerobic PAOs and the restraint on the nitrifiers growth, and the contact time in the aerobic zone of the A^2/O process should be longer than 30 min, which ensured efficient phosphorus removal in the combined system. The adequate BAF effluent return rates should be controlled with 1--4 mg/L nitrate nitrogen in the anoxic zone effluent of A^2/O process to achieve the optimal nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies.

Applying real-time control to enhance the performance of nitrogen removal in CAST system

A bench-scale reactor（72 L） red with domestic sewage, was operated more than 3 months with three operation modes： traditional mode, modified mode and real-time control mode, so as to evaluate effects of the operation mode on the system performance and to develop a feasible control strategy. Results obtained from fixed-time control study indicate that the variations of the pH and oxidation-reduction potential（ORP） profiles can represent dynamic characteristics of system and the cycle sequences can be controlled and optimized by the control points on the pH and ORP profiles. A control strategy was, therefore, developed and applied to real-time control mode. Compared with traditional mode, the total nitrogen（TN） removal can be increased by approximately 16% in modified mode and a mean TN removal of 92% was achieved in real-time control mode. Moreover, approximately 12.5% aeration energy was saved in real- time control mode. The result of this study shows that the performance of nitrogen removal was enhanced in modified operation mode. Moreover, the real-time control made it possible to optimize process operation and save aeration energy.

Study of control strategy and simulation in anoxic-oxic nitrogen removal process

The control strategy and simulation of external carbon addition were specially studied in an anoxic-oxic(A/O) process with low carbon: nitrogen(C/N) domestic wastewater. The control strategy aimed to adjust the flow rate of external carbon dosage to the anoxic zone, thus the concentration of nitrate plus nitrite(NOx--N) in the anoxic zone was kept closed to the set point. The relationship was studied between the NOx--N concentration in the anoxic zone(S_ NO) and the dosage of external carbon, and the results showed that the removal efficiency of the total nitrogen(TN) could not be largely improved by double dosage of carbon source when S_ NO reached about 2 mg/L. Through keeping S_ NO at the level of about 2 mg/L, the demand of effluent quality could be met and the carbon dosage could be optimized. Based on the Activated Sludge Model No.1(ASM No.1), a simplified mathematical model of external carbon dosage was developed. Simulation results showed that PI controller and feed-forward PI controller both had good dynamic response and steady precision. And feed-forward PI controller had better control effects due to its consideration of influent disturbances.

Theoretical evaluation on nitrogen removal of step-feed anoxic/oxic activated sludge process

Evaluation on nitrogen removal of step-feed anoxic/oxic activated sludge process at the standpoint of reaction kinetics and process kinetics was conducted. Theoretical biological nitrogen removal efficiency was deduced based on the mass balance of nitrate in the last stage. The comparison of pre-denitrification process and step feed process in the aspects of nitrogen removal efficiency, volume of reactor and building investment was studied, and the results indicated that step-feed anoxic/oxic activated sludge process was superior to pre-denitrification process in these aspects.

Research progress and prospect of low-carbon biological technology for nitrate removal in wastewater treatment

Wastewater treatment plants are the major energy consumers and significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions,among which biological nitrogen removal of wastewater is an important contributor to carbon emissions.However,traditional heterotrophic denitrification still has the problems of excessive residual sludge and the requirement of external carbon sources.Consequently,the development of innovative low-carbon nitrate removal technologies is necessary.This review outlines the key roles of sulfur autotrophic denitrification and hydrogen autotrophic denitrification in low-carbon wastewater treatment.The discovered nitrate/nitrite dependent anaerobic methane oxidation enables sustainable methane emission reduction and nitrogen removal by utilizing available methane in situ.Photosynthetic microorganisms exhibited a promising potential to achieve carbon-negative nitrate removal.Specifically,the algal-bacterial symbiosis system and photogranules offer effective and prospective low-carbon options for nitrogen removal.Then,the emerging nitrate removal technology of photoelectrotrophic denitrification and the underlying,photoelectron transfer mechanisms are discussed.Finally,we summarize and prospect these technologies,highlighting that solar-driven biological nitrogen removal technology is a promising area for future sustainable wastewater treatment.This review has important guiding significance for the design of low-carbon wastewater treatment systems.

Isolation of aerobic denitrifier and characteristics of enhanced nitrogen removal in concentric-circles reactor with diversion wall

Three strains of aerobic denitrifiers,named as AT3,AT6 and AT7,were isolated from concentric-circles reactor with diversion wall possessing simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) effect of 69%. The three strains are all gram-positive and rod-shaped,and their colonial colors are pale yellow,milk white and pink,respectively. Combined with 16SrDNA sequence homology comparison and biochemical tests,AT3 and AT7 were identified to belong to Rhodococcus,and AT6 to Gordonia. These bacterial strains could grow well in the medium with potassium nitrate as nitrogen source and sodium citrate as carbon source. Based on the enhanced nitrogen removal experiments of selected bacteria mixture for activated sludge,the inoculum amount of 5% was supposed to be proper. The mixed biomass suspension of selected strains with PVA immobilization was put into the concentric-circles reactor in order to study the characteristics of enhanced nitrogen removal after amplifying cultivation with inoculated amount of 5%. The experimental results show that the average removal efficiencies of ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and total nitrogen (TN) in the reactor enhanced with aerobic denitrifying bacteria using PVA are 92.18% and 79.14% respectively,increasing by 5.29% and 7.83% respectively compared with removal effects of control group without strains enhancement.

Effect of initial ammonium concentration on a one-stage partial nitrification/anammox biofilm system:Nitrogen removal performance and the microbial community

One-stage partial nitrification coupled with anammox(PN/A)technology effectively reduces the energy consumption of a biological nitrogen removal system.Inhibiting nitrite-oxidizing bacteria(NOB)is essential for this technology to maintain efficient nitrogen removal performance.Initial ammonium concentration(IAC)affects the degree of inhibited NOB.In this study,the effect of the IAC on a PN/A biofilm was investigated in a moving bed biofilm reactor.The results showed that nitrogen removal efficiency decreased from 82.49%±1.90%to 64.57%±3.96%after the IAC was reduced from 60 to 20 mg N/L,while the nitrate production ratio increased from 13.87%±0.90%to 26.50%±3.76%.NOB activity increased to1,133.86 mg N/m^(2)/day after the IAC decreased,approximately 4-fold,indicating that the IAC plays an important inhibitory role in NOB.The rate-limiting step in the mature biofilm of the PN/A system is the nitritation process and is not shifted by the IAC.The analysis of the microbial community structure in the biofilm indicates that the IAC was the dominant factor in changes in community structure.Ca.Brocadia and Ca.Jettenia were the main anammox bacteria,and Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira were the main AOB and NOB,respectively.IAC did not affect the difference in growth between Ca.Brocadia and Ca.Jettenia.Thus,modulating the IAC promoted the PN/A process with efficient nitrogen removal performance at medium to low ammonium concentrations.

Nitrification-denitrification via nitrite pathway in biological treatment of hypersaline wastewater

Pilot-scale studies on biological treatment of hypersaline wastewater at low temperature were conducted and results showed that seawater salinity had a strong negative effect on notrouomonas and nitrobaeter growth, but much more on the nitrobaeter. The nitrification action was mainly accomplished by nitrosomonas. Bench-scale experiments using two SBRs were carried out for further investigation under different conditions of salinities, ammonia loadings and temperatures. Biological nitrogen removal via nitrite pathway from wastewater containing 30 percent seawater was achieved, but the ammonia removal efficiency was strongly related not only to the influent ammonia loading at different salinities but also to temperatures. When the ratio of seawater to wastewater was 30 percent, and the ammonia loading was below the critical value of 0. 15 kgNH4 ^＋ -N/（ kgMLSS · d） , the ammonia removal efficiency via nitrite pathway was above 90 %. The critical level of ammonia loading was 0. 15, 0. 08 and 0. 03 kgNH4 ^＋ -N/（ kgMLSS · d） respectively at different temperatures of 30℃, 25℃ and 20℃ when the influent ammonia concentration was 60 - 80 mg/L and pH was 7.5 - 8.0.

海水养殖尾水人工湿地处理系统及其脱氮过程研究进展和展望

利用人工湿地处理海水养殖尾水具有很大的应用前景,其中,脱氮是人工湿地的主要任务之一。基质上栽培的植物和附着的微生物参与的氮循环是人工湿地生物脱氮的主要路径,植物和多种氮代谢菌群在人工湿地内部相互协同与制约,构成了一个复杂的氮代谢网络。海水养殖尾水的高盐度和低碳氮比(C/N)又决定了此类人工湿地独特的处理环境和生物脱氮机制。同时,人工湿地的供氧模式、水力负荷(HRT)、水力停留时间(HLR)等水力条件参数对脱氮效能也有很大影响,对这些指标进行调控和优化,可以提高湿地的整体脱氮性能。本文从海水人工湿地的构建、基质的选取、耐盐植物的筛选、氮循环相关微生物以及运行参数调控四个方面,对近年来海水养殖尾水人工湿地生物脱氮方面的研究进展进行了综述和展望,以期为深入理解海水人工湿地脱氮机制和优化运行方式提供参考。

固定化异养硝化-好氧反硝化菌在污水生物强化中的研究进展

异养硝化-好氧反硝化(Heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification,HN-AD)菌可以在有机碳存在的好氧条件下实现同时硝化和反硝化,广泛应用于各类污水处理过程中。综述了HN-AD菌株的脱氮特性和代谢途径,总结了其在污水处理中的应用和研究现状,比较了不同载体材料的优缺点,重点讨论了固定HN-AD菌株提高反应器处理效果和稳定性的作用机理。最后,展望了固定化HN-AD菌株在污水处理中面临的挑战和未来的研究方向。