Effect of heterotrophic growth on nitritation/anammox in a single sequencing batch reactor

2008 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai M. Udert ◽  
Elija Kind ◽  
Mieke Teunissen ◽  
Sarina Jenni ◽  
Tove A. Larsen

The combination of nitritation and autotrophic denitrification (anammox) in a single sequencing batch reactor (SBR) is an energy efficient process for nitrogen removal from high-strength ammonia wastewaters. So far, the process has been successfully applied to digester supernatant. However, the process could also be suitable to treat source-separated urine, which has very high ammonium and organic substrate concentrations (up to 8,200 gN/m3 and 10,000 gCOD/m3). In this study, reactor performance was tested for digester supernatant and diluted source-separated urine. Ammonium concentrations in both solutions were similar (between 611 and 642 gN/m3), thus reactor performance could be directly compared. Differences were mainly due to higher activity of heterotrophic bacteria in urine. Nitrogen removal was slightly higher for source-separated urine, because heterotrophic bacteria denitrified the nitrate that was produced by anammox bacteria. In spite of higher heterotrophic growth with source-separated urine, calculated sludge concentrations at steady state were higher with digester supernatant due to accumulation of inert particulate organic matter from the influent. Although the sludge concentrations are less problematic for source-separated urine, process instabilities are more likely, because lower pH values are reached and heterotrophic denitrification can cause sudden increases of nitrite concentrations and/or nitric oxide. Both compounds inhibit aerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria, heterotrophic bacteria and, most importantly, anammox bacteria. Nitrite and nitric oxide production by heterotrophic denitrification must be better understood to optimize nitritation/anammox for source-separated urine.

Author(s):  
A. Banach-Wiśniewska ◽  
M. Ćwiertniewicz-Wojciechowska ◽  
A. Ziembińska-Buczyńska

Abstract Implementation of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) below its optimal temperature, known as “cold anammox”, may lead to its common use in wastewater treatment plants, reducing the operational costs of wastewater treatment. Thus, we investigated the effects of immobilization in polyvinyl alcohol–sodium alginate gel beads on anammox performance at temperatures of 30 °C, 23 °C, and 15 °C in laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactors. We determined the relative gene abundance of the nitrogen removal bacterial groups, which are considered as the key functional microbes of nitrogen cycle in activated sludge: denitrifies, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, and anammox bacteria. Nitrogen removal efficiency was higher for immobilized anammox sludge in comparison with non-immobilized anammox biomass at each investigated temperature. At 30 °C, nitrogen removal efficiency was 83.7 ± 6.46% for immobilized reactor, and 79.4 ± 7.83% for the control reactor, while at 15 °C was remained at the level of 50 ± 2.5% for immobilized reactor, and fluctuated from 13.2 to 45.3% for the control one. During temperature shifts, the process was also more stable in the case of the reactor with immobilized biomass. A statistically significant correlation was found between nitrogen removal efficiency and hydrazine oxidoreductase gene abundance.


2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 1065-1071 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Ruscalleda ◽  
S. Puig ◽  
X. Mora ◽  
H. López ◽  
R. Ganigué ◽  
...  

Heterotrophic denitrification coexists with the anammox process contributing to N removal owing to the biodegradable organic matter supply from urban landfill leachate and the decay of microorganisms. Both biomasses consumed nitrite increasing the nitrite requirements of the system. The aim of this paper is the study of the causes which induce the system to decrease nitrogen removal efficiency. In this study, urban landfill leachate has been treated in an anammox Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) for 360 days. The anammox reactor treated on average 0.24 kgN m−3 d−1 obtaining nitrogen removal efficiencies up to 89%. The results demonstrated that i) a suitable influent nitrite to ammonium molar ratio is a crucial factor to avoid troubles in the anammox reactor performance; ii) an excess of nitrite implied nitrite accumulation in the reactor; iii) a lower nitrite supply than the necessary for the system could force a loss of specific anammox activity due to nitrite competition with denitrifiers. These results pointed out the importance of the previous partial-nitritation process control in order to obtain a correct influent nitrite to ammonium molar ratio for the anammox reactor. In addition, sudden variation of the leachate characteristics must be avoided.


1994 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 237-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Carucci ◽  
M. Majone ◽  
R. Ramadori ◽  
S. Rossetti

This paper describes a lab-scale experimentation carried out to study enhanced biological phosphate removal (EBPR) in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The synthetic feed used was based on peptone and glucose as organic substrate to simulate the readily biodegradable fraction of a municipal wastewater (Wentzel et al., 1991). The experimental work was divided into two runs, each characterized by different operating conditions. The phosphorus removal efficiency was considerably higher in the absence of competition for organic substrate between P-accumulating and denitrifying bacteria. The activated sludge consisted mainly of peculiar microorganisms recently described by Cech and Hartman (1990) and called “G bacteria”. The results obtained seem to be inconsistent with the general assumption that the G bacteria are characterized by anaerobic substrate uptake not connected with any polyphosphate metabolism. Supplementary anaerobic batch tests utilizing glucose, peptone and acetate as organic substrates show that the role of acetate in the biochemical mechanisms promoting EBPR may not be so essential as it has been assumed till now.


2009 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 573-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-ming Li ◽  
Dong-bo Wang ◽  
Qi Yang ◽  
Wei Zheng ◽  
Jian-bin Cao ◽  
...  

It was occasionally found that a significant nitrogen loss in solution under neutral pH value in a sequencing batch reactor with a single-stage oxic process using synthetic wastewater, and then further studies were to verify the phenomenon of nitrogen loss and to investigate the pathway of nitrogen removal. The result showed that good performance of nitrogen removal was obtained in system. 0–7.28 mg L−1 ammonia, 0.08–0.38 mg L−1 nitrite and 0.94–2.12 mg L−1 nitrate were determined in effluent, respectively, when 29.85–35.65 mg L−1 ammonia was feeding as the sole nitrogen source in influent. Furthermore, a substantial nitrogen loss in solution (95% of nitrogen influent) coupled with a little gaseous nitrogen increase in off-gas (7% of nitrogen influent) was determined during a typical aerobic phase. In addition, about 322 mg nitrogen accumulation (84% of nitrogen influent) was detected in activated sludge. Based on nitrogen mass balance calculation, the unaccounted nitrogen fraction and the ratio of nitrogen accumulation in sludge/nitrogen loss in solution were 14.6 mg (3.7% of nitrogen influent) and 0.89, respectively. The facts indicated that the essential pathway of nitrogen loss in solution in this study was excess nitrogen accumulation in activated sludge.


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