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.

Nitrogen Removal by Simultaneous Nitrification and Denitrification via Nitrite in a Sequence Hybrid Biological Reactor

Sequence hybrid biological reactor （SHBR） was proposed, and some key control parameters were investigated for nitrogen removal from wastewater by simultaneous nitrification and denitrification （SND） via nitrite. SND via nitrite was achieved in SHBR by controlling demand oxygen （DO） concentration. There was a programmed decrease of the DO from 2.50 mg·L^-1 to 0.30 mg·L^-1, and the average nitrite accumulation rate （NAR） was increased from 16.5% to 95.5% in 3 weeks. Subsequently, further increase in DO concentration to 1.50 mg·L^-1 did not destroy the partial nitrification to nitrite. The results showed that limited air flow rate to cause oxygen deficiency in the reactor would eventually induce only nitrification to nitrite and not further to nitrate. Nitrogen removal efficiency was increased with the increase in NAR, that is, NAR was increased from 60% to 90%, and total nitrogen removal efficiency was increased from 68% to 85%. The SHBR could tolerate high organic loading rate （OLR）, COD and ammonia-nitrogen removal efficiency were greater than 92% and 93.5%, respectively,, and it even operated under low DO concentration （0.5 mg·L^-1） and maintained high OLR （4.0 kg COD·m^-3·d^-1）. The presence of biofilm positively affected the activated sludge settling capability, and sludge volume index （SVI） of activated sludge in SHBR never hit more than 90 ml·L^-1 throughout the experiments.

Effects of COD/N ratio and DO concentration on simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in an airlift internal circulation membrane bioreactor

The effects of chemical oxygen demand and nitrogen(COD/N)ratio and dissolved oxygen concentration(DO)on simultaneous nitrification and denitrification(SND)were investigated using an airlift internal circulation membrane bioreactor(AIC-MBR)with synthetic wastewater.The results showed that the COD efficiencies were consistently greater than 90% regardless of changes in the COD/N ratio.At the COD/N ratio of 4.77 and 10.04,the system nitrogen removal efficiency became higher than 70%.However,the nitrogen remova...

Study on Characteristics in the Removal Process of Ammonia Nitrogen and Nitrate Nitrogen by an Isolated Heterotrophic Nitrification-Aerobic Denitrification Strain Rhodococcus Sp.

Removal of ammonia nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen by an heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification strain is an economical and effective method. In this article, a kind of heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification strain which has aerobic denitrification and heterotrophic nitrification ability was selected, and then was identified as rhodococcus sp. by 16S rRNA sequencing analysis and morphological observation. After that, carbon source utilization and nitrification- denitrification activity of this strain in different C/N, initial nitrogen concentration were studied. In addition, the assimilation and denitrification activities of ammonia and nitrate were also researched under the condition of nitrate and ammonia coexisted in the solution. The results show that the strain can grow in sodium acetate, glucose, sodium succinate and sodium citrate solutions, and it can not survive in sodium oxalate, sucrose and soluble starch solutions. Initial concentration and C/N were important for nitrogen removal rate. This strain can completely remove nitrate/ammonia when nitrate/ammonia concentration was lower than 15 mg l-1/80 mg l-1. the C/N of 10 and of 12 were the optimum C/N ratio in the nitrate and ammonia removal process respectively. pH value rose up sharply in the denitrification process and it increased relatively slowly in the nitrification process, which shows that pH is one of the most important factor inhibiting the denitrification removal process. Nitrite concentration was much higher in denitrification process than in nitrification process. In addition, this strain gave priority to utilizing ammonia as nitrogen source when ammonia and nitrate coexisted in the solution.

Simultaneous nitrification and autotrophic denitrification in fluidized bed reactors using pyrite and elemental sulfur as electron donors

In this study, simultaneous nitrification and autotrophic denitrification (SNAD) with either elemental sulfur or pyrite were investigated in fluidized bed reactors in mesophilic conditions. The reactor performance was evaluated at different ammonium (12-40 mg/L of NH4+-N), nitrate (35-45 mg/L of NO3--N), and dissolved oxygen (DO) (0.1-1.5 mg/L) concentrations, with a hydraulic retention time of 12 h. The pyrite reactor supported the SNAD process with a maximum nitrogen removal efficiency of 139.5 mg/(L·d) when the DO concentration was in the range of 0.8-1.5 mg/L. This range, however, limited the denitrification efficiency of the reactor, which decreased from 90.0% ± 5.3% in phases II-V to 67.9% ± 7.2% in phases VI and VII. Sulfate precipitated as iron sulfate (FeSO4/Fe2(SO4)3) and sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) minerals during the experiment. The sulfur reactor did not respond well to nitrification with a low and unstable ammonium removal efficiency, while denitrification occurred with a nitrate removal efficiency of 97.8%. In the pyrite system, the nitrifying bacterium Nitrosomonas sp. was present, and its relative abundance increased from 0.1% to 1.1%, while the autotrophic denitrifying genera Terrimonas, Ferruginibacter, and Denitratimonas dominated the community. Thiobacillus, Sulfurovum, and Trichlorobacter were the most abundant genera in the sulfur reactor during the entire experiment.

Control strategy of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in SBR system

The influence of main process parameters on simultaneous nitrification and denitrification （SND） in a sequencing batch reactor （SBR） were investigated while treating actual municipal sewage. The influent average concentration of CODcr and total nitrogen was 350mg-L-l and 35mg.L-l. The experiment indicated the following four operation control strategies： （1） When operation cycle was 6 hours, oxidation of organic pollutants and simultaneous nitrification and denitrification could well completed in the SBR reactor; （2） TN removal rate could be increased significantly, 40% higher than traditional SBR processes when idle period was set between influent and aeration; （3） The time of idle period could affect simultaneous nitrification and denitrification and the best time is 30 minutes; （4） Increase of sludge organic load may improve TN removal efficiency, but NH3-N removal efficiency declines.

Effects of Aeration Rates and Patterns on Shortcut Nitrification and Denitrification

The effects of aeration rates and aeration patterns on the oxidation of ammonia-nitrogen into nitrite were investigated. The influent high ammonia-nitrogen synthetic wastewater resembled to those of the catalytic process of the petrochemical refinery. The method involved the biological shortcut nitrification and denitrification lab-scale’s sequencing batch reactor (SBR) process based on intermittent aerations and aeration patterns. All the operations were carried out in a 20 L working volume SBR bioreactor, and the influent synthetic wastewater’s concentration was always 1000 mg/L ammonia-nitrogen NH4-N concentration at a C/N (carbon/nitrogen) ratio of 2.5:1. Effective shortcut nitrification to nitrite was registered at 1.1 mg-O2/L (i.e. 9 L-air/min) with 99.1% nitrification efficiency, 99.0% nitritation rate and 2.6 mg-NO3--N/L nitrate concentration. The best results with 99.3% nitrification efficiency were recorded when operating at 1.4 mg-O2/L (i.e. 12 L-air/min). According to these experiments, it results that the nitrite accumulation rate was related to aeration rate and cycle’s duration. However, at 1.7 mg-O2/L (i.e. 15 L-air/min), the system was limited by an increase in nitrate concentration with more than 5 mg/L which could be a point of reverse to conventional nitrification. The best total nitrogen (TN) removal was about 71.5%.

Nitrogen Release Kinetics and Nitrification-Denitrification on Surface Sediments under Aerating Disturbance Condition

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate the nitrogen release kinetics and nitrification-denitrification on surface sediments under aerating disturbance condition, with the purpose to solve the sediment nitrogen release and secondary pollution problems. [Method] The effect of in situ sediments aeration on the release of nitrogen pollutants was investigated, and the nitrogen release kinetics parameters were analyzed. The process of nitrification and denitrification under sediments aeration condition was investigated in laboratory. [Result] The nitrogen released from sediments was enhanced by aeration disturbance. The concentration of NH4＋-N and TN reached the maximum value in 30 min, and release rates were proportional to the disturbance strength. In this study, with the distance of aerator to the sediments surface of 0, 1, 2 and 3 cm, the suspended sediments concentrations were 3.52, 3.41, 3.26 and 3.01 g/L, respectively. Maximum release concentration of NH4＋-N and TN were 14.3, 13.8, 13.2, 12.2 mg/L and 33.21, 30.98, 29.83, 27.30 mg/L, respec- tively. In addition, both NH4＋-N and TN release kinetics could be described by Double Constant Equation as InC=A＋Blnt. Nitrification reaction occurred and was promoted by continued aerating to sediments.The concentration of NH4＋-N dropped down from 12.4 mg/L to 0.2 mg/L in 8 d, with the concentration of NO3--N increased to the maximum value of 10.8 mg/L. In addition, concentration of NO3--N and TN decreased from 10.8 mg/L and 37.4 mg/L to 0.36 mg/L and 23.2 mg/L after the stop of aeration for 12 d, indicating the occurrence of denitdfication reaction. Therefore, sediment aeration could accelerate nitrogen release and nitrification reaction, and with intermittent aeration, nitrogen could be removed from sediments in-situ by nitrification and denitrification. [Conclusion] The results provided technical reference for the in situ sediment remediation for the black-odor rivers in cities.

Nitrogen removal influence factors in A/O process and decision trees for nitrification/denitrification system

In order to improve nitrogen removal in anoxic/oxic(A/O) process effectively for treating domestic wastewaters, the influence factors, DO(dissolved oxygen), nitrate recirculation, sludge recycle, SRT(solids residence time), influent COD/TN and HRT(hydraulic retention time) were studied. Results indicated that it was possible to increase nitrogen removal by using corresponding control strategies, such as, adjusting the DO set point according to effluent ammonia concentration; manipulating nitrate recirculation flow according to nitrate concentration at the end of anoxic zone. Based on the experiments results, a knowledge-based approach for supervision of the nitrogen removal problems was considered, and decision trees for diagnosing nitrification and denitrification problems were built and successfully applied to A/O process.

Quorum sensing systems regulate heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification by changing the activity of nitrogen-cycling enzymes

Heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification(HNAD)is essential in diverse nitrogen-transforming processes.How HNAD is modulated by quorum sensing(QS)systems is still ambiguous.The QS system in Pseudomonas aeruginosa manipulates colony behavior.Here,we described the influence of the Pseudomonas quinolone signal(PQS)and N-acyl-L-homoserine lactone(AHL)on HNAD.The HNAD of P.aeruginosa was inhibited by the oversecretion of PQS.AHL-or PQS-deficient P.aeruginosa mutants had a higher ability for nitrogen removal.QS inhibited heterotrophic nitrification mainly via controlling the activity of nitrite oxidoreductase(NXR)and the depressed aerobic denitrification by regulating the catalytic abilities of nitric oxide reductase(NOR),nitrite reductase(NIR),and nitrate reductase(NAR).The addition of citrate as the sole carbon source increased the nitrogen removal efficiency compared with other carbon sources.Nitrite,as the sole nitrogen source,could be used entirely with only the moderate concentration of PQS contained.AHL and PQS controlled both nitrification and denitrification,suggesting that QS plays an important role in nitrogen cycle under aerobic conditions.

Seasonal response of nitrogen exchange fluxes to crab disturbance at sediment-water interface in coastal tidal wetlands

Coastal wetlands are hotspots for nitrogen(N)cycling,and crab burrowing is known to transform N in intertidal marsh soils.However,the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.This study conducted field experiments and used indoor control test devices to investigate the seasonal response of nitrogen to crab disturbance at the sediment-water interface in coastal tidal flat wetlands.The results showed that crab disturbance exhibited significant seasonality with large seasonal differences in cave density and depth.Due to crab disturbance,nitrogen fuxes at the sediment-water interface were much greater in the box with crabs than in the box without crabs.In summer,NH-N showed a positive flux from the sediment to the overlying water,but NO2-N and NOg-N showed positive fluxes from the sediment to the overlying water only in early stages.In winter,NH-N showed a positive flux from the sediment to the overlying water,but NO-N and NO,-N both exhibited positive and negative fluxes.These results indicated that the presence of crab burrows can cause the aerobic layer to move downward by approximately 8-15 cm in summer and directly promote nitrification at the sediment surface.

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.

Novel strategy of nitrogen removal from domestic wastewater using pilot Orbal oxidation ditch

A pilot-scale Orbed oxidation ditch was operated for 17 months to optimize nitrogen removal from domestic wastewater of average COD to total nitrogen ratio of 2.7, with particular concern about the roles of dissolved oxygen （DO）, mixed liquor suspended solids （MLSS） and return activated sludge （RAS） recycle ratio. Remarkable simultaneous nitrification and denitrification （SND） was observed and mean total nitrogen （TN） removal efficiency up to 72.1% was steadily achieved, at DO concentration in the out, middle and inner channel of 0.1, 0.4 and 0.7 mg/L, respectively, with an average M LSS of 5.5 g/L and RAS recycle ratio of 150%. Although the out channel took the major role in TN removal, the role of middle channel should never be ignored. The denitrification potential could be fully developed under low DO, high MLSS with adequate RAS ratio. The sludge settleability was amazingly improved under low DO operation mode, and some explanations were tried. In addition, a scries of simplified batch tests were done to determine whether novel microorganisms could make substantial contribution to the performance of nitrogen removal. The results indicated that the SND observed in this Orbal oxidation ditch was more likely a physical phenomenon.

A New Approach for Removal of Nitrogen Oxides from Synthetic Gas-streams under High Concentration of Oxygen in Biofilters

The potential of using denitrifying and nitrifying concurrent biofilters for the removal of nitrogen oxides from synthetic gas streams was studied under the condition of high oxygen concentration. It was found that more than 85% of nitric oxide was removed from synthetic combustion gas-streams which contained 20% oxygen and 350 μL/L NO, with a residence time of 60 seconds. In the process, it was found that the existing of oxygen showed no evident negative effect on the efficiency of nitrogen removal.

ROOT EXUDATES FROM CANOLA EXHIBIT BIOLOGICAL NITRIFICATION INHIBITION AND ARE EFFECTIVE IN INHIBITING AMMONIA OXIDATION IN SOIL

A range of plant species produce root exudates that inhibit ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms.This biological nitrification inhibition(BNI)capacity can decrease N loss and increase N uptake from the rhizosphere.This study sought evidence for the existence and magnitude of BNI capacity in canola(Brassica napus).Seedlings of three canola cultivars,Brachiaria humidicola(BNI positive)and wheat(Triticum aestivum)were grown in a hydroponic system.Root exudates were collected and their inhibition of the ammonia oxidizing bacterium,Nitrosospira multiformis,was tested.Subsequent pot experiments were used to test the inhibition of native nitrifying communities in soil.Root exudates from canola significantly reduced nitrification rates of both N.multiformis cultures and native soil microbial communities.The level of nitrification inhibition across the three cultivars was similar to the well-studied high-BNI species B.humidicola.BNI capacity of canola may have implications for the N dynamics in farming systems and the N uptake efficiency of crops in rotational farming systems.By reducing nitrification rates canola crops may decrease N losses,increase plant N uptake and encourage microbial N immobilization and subsequently increase the pool of organic N that is available for mineralization during the following cereal crops.

Nitrogen Removal in Wastewater Irrigation Systems and Its Influence on Groundwater Pollution

The experiment included ten soil columns and field investigation in 1 - 2 year duration. Data on the columns continuously flooded with waste water indicated that when total input of NH4-N reached to above 70% of the NH4-N adsorption capacity in soil the breakthrough would appear in the output . Adequate removal of nitrogen from the waste water would require at least 170 cm deep groundwater table . Fine textured soil would promote denitrification . The columns simulating discontinuous waste water irrigation indicated that denitrification existed only in the partial microenvironment of reduction .Groundwater table depth had no strong influence on nitrogen removal . The investigation in field revealed that the groundwater recharged with waste water was not polluted by nitrogen when the aeration profile was in finer textures owing to the combined contribution of nitrification and denitrification .

Influence of Carbon Source on Biological Nitrogen Removal by Immobilised Bacteria

Acetate, ethanol, and hydrolysed rice were used as external carbon sources in an ammonium removal process employing immobilised bacteria. The influence of the carbon source on the occurrence of free cells and total nitrogen removal efficiency was examined at C/N ratios of 1.5 (low), 2.5 (medium), and 3.5 (high). At the low C/N ratio, no free cells were found in the reactors and the use of acetate as the carbon source resulted in the highest total nitrogen removal efficiency, followed by ethanol and hydrolysed rice. The occurrence of free cells in reactors fed with acetate and ethanol led to a negligible increase in the total nitrogen removal efficiency with increasing C/N ratio. The results suggest that acetate is the most appropriate carbon source for nitrogen removal and that the number of free cells should be minimized to achieve the highest efficiency during long-term operation.

Traditional Nitrogen Removal Coupled with SND to Meet Advanced WWTP Standards at a Full Scale SBR Wastewater Treatment Facility

A Florida wastewater treatment facility studied how Simultaneous Nitrification Denitrification (SND) coupled with traditional nitrogen removal would be used to meet the state’s current advanced wastewater treatment nutrient criterion. This study examined the effect of these combined processes on the fate and transport of the nitrogen species during the treatment process. The effectiveness of nitrogen removal within the full scale sequential batch reactor system (SBR) and the extent of SND compared to nitrification and denitrification in the nitrogen removal process was also evaluated. Finally, the overall performance of the municipal wastewater treatment facility utilizing these combined processes was evaluated. Overall, this application reduced the total nitrogen to almost 6% of the permitted concentration of 3.0 mg/L. The combination of both processes also resulted in an actual ?concentration 93.7% lower than the acceptable theoretical ?concentration, which also resulted in effluent Total Inorganic Nitrogen nearly 80% lower than the permitted 3.0 mg/L effluent concentration. Further, the process produced a composite Total Nitrogen concentration that was 74% lower than the permitted concentration. This coupling of SND with traditional nitrogen removal resulted in a highly effective process to reduce nitrogen in the municipal wastewater effluent which is also attractive for potential implementation due to the low cost expenditure incurred in its utilization.