Application of an efficient, cost-effective and newly developed single-process SAO/PND technology for treating brewery industry effluent

Abstract

Simultaneous anaerobic oxidation/partial nitrification-denitrification (SAO/PND) technology, as a newly developed biological treatment method, removes organic carbon and nitrogen content from various streams both efficiently and cost-effectively. This study uses the SAO/PND system as a single-process for the treatment of real brewery wastewater with the aim of developing a robust alternative to conventional technologies. A laboratory bench–scale setup of this system is used to achieve this goal. In addition, the system is fed with a synthetic solution during a set of complementary experiments to reveal more details about the removal mechanisms. The highest COD (92%) and nitrogen (99%) removal efficiencies are obtained for treating real brewery wastewater with influent concentrations of 9036 mg/L COD and 187.52 mg/L TIN–N. The organic carbon volumetric and mass loading rates of the pre-anoxic reactor with high removal efficiency are determined as 19.95 kg COD/(m3.d) and 8.75 kg COD/(kg VSS.d), respectively. The results revealed the high potential of the SAO/PND system for nitrogen removal, but the highest possible influent nitrogen concentrations with this system are not determined. The single-process SAO/PND treatment method showed a promising alternative to conventional technologies, as it combines efficiency and cost-effectiveness with simple operation and maintenance.