Effect of Carbon Source on Lab-scale SAD Process in a Wastewater Treatment Plant

Abstract

Lab-scale anaerobic ammonia oxidation and denitrification (SAD) processes were operated simultaneously in a municipal waste water treatment plant (WWTP). Sewage treated by the A/O and nitrification process was used as the substance to start up an anaerobic ammonia oxidation filter reactor. Adding glucose and sodium propionate to influent was used as the substance to start up the SAD filter reactor after the successful start-up of the ANAMMOX reactor. The SAD process performed well with an average total nitrogen concentration in the effluent of 6.41 mg·L-1 when 30 mg·L-1 glucose was added to the effluent sewage at ambient temperature. Compared with the ANAMMOX process, the total nitrogen concentration in the effluent from the SAD process decreased 42%. The stability of the SAD process was destroyed and the SAD process turned into a denitrification process when 30 mg·L-1 glucose was added in the influent sewage in a low temperature environment. In normal and low temperature environments, the SAD process functioned well, and the average total nitrogen concentration of the effluent was 6.54 mg·L-1 when 30 mg·L-1 sodium propionate was added in the influent sewage. Compared with glucose, sodium propionate had little influence on the SAD process.