Biological Nitrogen Removal Database
A manually curated data resource for microbial nitrogen removal
Biological Nitrogen Removal Database
A manually curated data resource for microbial nitrogen removal
Influent:Synthetic wastewater
Anammox system:nan
Anammox reactor:Sequencing batch reactor - partial nitritation/anammox (SBR-PN/A)
Medium:nan
Culture taken from:Municipal wastewater
Microorganism cultured:Candidatus Brocadia
Respiration:Anaerobic
Electron donor:Ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4)
Electron acceptor:Sodium Nitrite (NaNO2)
PH:7.4
Maximum sludge concentration:nan
HRT:14 h
NH4–N Influent conc(mg/L):70
NO2–N Influent conc(mg/L):70
SO4–S Influent conc(mg/L):nan
NH4–N Removal efficiency (%):90
NO2–N Removal efficiency (%):70
SO4-S Removal efficiency (%):nan
NLR kg-N/m3/d:nan
NRR kg-N/m3/d:20–40^
Major findings:The long-term stability and effluent quality of mainstream PN/A processes treating municipal wastewater at low temperature were studied in three main parallel lab-scale reactors operated as pure and hybrid MBBRs respectively. The removal of organic micropollutants in mainstream PN/A systems is comparable to the removal achieved in conventional processes for biological nutrients removal. Good total nitrogen removal efficiencies and effluent concentrations, complying with the current discharge limits, are achievable under mainstream conditions.
Authors:Laureni et al., 2016
Title:Mainstream partial nitritation and anammox: long-term process stability and effluent quality at low temperatures
Pubmed link:Link
Full research link:Link
Abstract:The implementation of autotrophic anaerobic ammonium oxidation processes for the removal of nitrogen from municipal wastewater (known as "mainstream anammox") bears the potential to bring wastewater treatment plants close to energy autarky. The aim of the present work was to assess the long-term stability of partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) processes operating at low temperatures and their reliability in meeting nitrogen concentrations in the range of typical discharge limits below 2 [Formula: see text] and 10 mgNtot·L(-1). Two main 12-L sequencing batch reactors were operated in parallel for PN/A on aerobically pre-treated municipal wastewater (21 ± 5 [Formula: see text] and residual 69 ± 19 mgCODtot·L(-1)) for more than one year, including over 5 months at 15 °C. The two systems consisted of a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) and a hybrid MBBR (H-MBBR) with flocculent biomass. Operation at limiting oxygen concentrations (0.15-0.18 [Formula: see text] ) allowed stable suppression of the activity of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria at 15 °C with a production of nitrate over ammonium consumed as low as 16% in the MBBR. Promising nitrogen removal rates of 20-40 mgN·L(-1)·d(-1) were maintained at hydraulic retention times of 14 h. Stable ammonium and total nitrogen removal efficiencies over 90% and 70% respectively were achieved. Both reactors reached average concentrations of total nitrogen below 10 mgN·L(-1) in their effluents, even down to 6 mgN·L(-1) for the MBBR, with an ammonium concentration of 2 mgN·L(-1) (set as operational threshold to stop aeration). Furthermore, the two PN/A systems performed almost identically with respect to the biological removal of organic micropollutants and, importantly, to a similar extent as conventional treatments. A sudden temperature drop to 11 °C resulted in significant suppression of anammox activity, although this was rapidly recovered after the temperature was increased back to 15 °C. Analyses of 16S rRNA gene-targeted amplicon sequencing revealed that the anammox guild of the bacterial communities of the two systems was composed of the genus "Candidatus Brocadia". The potential of PN/A systems to compete with conventional treatments for biological nutrients removal both in terms of removal rates and overall effluent quality was proven.