Manometric measurements of temperature influence on Anammox activity

Maciej Leoniak,Piotr Balbierz,B Kaźmierczak,M Kutyłowska,A Trusz-Zdybek,K Piekarska

doi:10.1051/e3sconf/20171700052

Maciej Leoniak, Piotr Balbierz + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/20171700052

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Abstract

Wastewater treatment plants face more stringent effluent limits, especially with regard to total nitrogen, which force them to consider sidestream nitrogen removal from digested sludge dewatering liquor which can contain up to 20% of incoming nitrogen load. One of the most promising technologies for sidestream nitrogen removal is the deammonification process which is based on partial short-cut nitrification and the Anammox process. Anammox process is an anaerobic ammonia oxidation with nitrite conducted by slowly growing autotrophic bacteria. Ensuring adequate activity of sensitive Anammox bacteria is a key condition for effective deammonification. As the main product of Anammox bacteria is the nitrogen gas, the assessment of Anammox activity can be based on manometric measurements which are a relatively simple and cost-effective alternative to traditional tests involving determination of soluble nitrogen forms. This paper presents the principles of manometric method as well as results of temperature influence on Anammox activity obtained in a commercially available lab-scale set-up.

Highlights

The potential existence of chemolithotrophic bacteria anaerobically oxidizing ammonia with nitrite/nitrate to dinitrogen gas was predicted, based on the theoretical thermodynamic calculations, already in the 1970s
The aim of this study was to determine the short-term influence of temperature on the activity of anammox biomass cultivated at relatively low temperature (23°C) using manometric measurements in batch tests, in order to estimate the values of temperature coefficient and activation energy
Biomass concentration was measured as total (TSS) and volatile suspended solids (VSS) at the end each test according to EN-872 – standard direct method for suspended solids on glass fibre filters with 1.2 m pore size

Summary

Introduction

The potential existence of chemolithotrophic bacteria anaerobically oxidizing ammonia with nitrite/nitrate to dinitrogen gas was predicted, based on the theoretical thermodynamic calculations, already in the 1970s. It was not until 1990s, that the effects of such a process were observed in reality, first in the technical systems, and later widespread in the natural environment. In engineering practice anammox process becomes more commonly applied as wastewater treatment plants face more stringent effluent limits, especially with regard to total nitrogen, which force them to consider sidestream nitrogen removal from digested sludge dewatering liquor which can contain up to 20% of incoming nitrogen load [3]

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