Integrated thiosulfate-driven denitrification, partial nitrification and anammox process in membrane-aerated biofilm reactor for low-carbon, energy-efficient biological nitrogen removal

Abstract

Combining multiple bioprocesses in a single membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) unit for wastewater treatment is an emerging research focus. This study investigated the feasibility of coupling thiosulfate-driven denitrification (TDD) with partial nitrification and anammox (PNA) in a MABR for the treatment of ammonium-containing wastewater. The integrated bioprocess was tested over a continuous operation period (>130 d) in two MABRs: one with a polyvinylidene fluoride membrane (MABR-1), and the other with micro-porous aeration tubes covered with non-wovenpolyester fabrics (MABR-2). After start-up, the MABR-1 and MABR-2 based on the TDD–PNA process achieved satisfactory total nitrogen removal efficiencies of 63% and 76%, with maximum oxygen utilisation efficiencies of up to 66% and 80% and nitrogen removal fluxes of 1.3 and 4.7 gN/(m2·d), respectively. Predictions from the AQUASIM-model verified the integrated bioprocess. These lab scale findings confirmed the applicability of MABR technology for simultaneous sulfur and nitrogen removal, promising for pilot-scale application.