Wastewater Treatment using the “Sulfate Reduction, DenitrificationAnammox and Partial Nitrification (SRDAPN)” Process

Abstract

Although nitrogen removal from wastewater is essential to prevent eutrophication, the biological processes employed to this end are characterized by several disadvantages, including high energy consumption and the production of large quantities of sludge. Thus, in this study, the organic matter and nitrogen removal efficiencies of the new sulfate reduction, denitrification/anammox and partial nitrification (SRDAPN) process were examined using an anaerobic-anoxic-oxic biofilter reactor. The results showed that the organic matter removal efficiency of the new process at loading rate 1.0 kg COD/m3 per day was 97%. With a circulation flow from the oxic to the anoxic column that was 3 times influent, the nitrogen removal efficiency of the sulfur denitrification and nitrification (SRDN) process without anammox, was 66%, while that of the SRDAPN process with anammox was 76%. Additionally, nitrogen consumption by the anammox reaction in the anoxic column was 13.8% for nitrite-nitrogen and 10.5% for ammonium-nitrogen, and the withdrawal of excess sludge was not required throughout the 170 days of operation. Microbial community analysis showed that acetogenic sulfate reducing bacteria and acetoclastic methanogens coexisted in the anaerobic column, and in the anoxic column, the total relative abundance of anammox bacteria, including Candidatus Brocadia, which coexisted with heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria and sulfur denitrifying bacteria, was 17-18%. Thus, this study established the SRDAPN process as an energy saving and high removal efficiency process.