Nitrate Recirculation Research Articles

Occurrence of aerobic denitrifying bacteria in integrated fixed film activated sludge system

Denitrification can be enhanced in the Integrated Fixed Film Activated System (IFAS) system by integrating media into the anoxic or aerobic zone. The simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) in the biofilm layers has been reported in the aerobic zone of the IFAS system. In this study, two IFAS systems with Bioweb® media installed in the anoxic or aerobic reactor were operated in parallel to evaluate both anoxic denitrification or aerobic SND in the biofilm layers enhanced by fixed film media at three different nitrite and nitrate recirculation (NR) ratios of 75%, 100%, and 125%. The results revealed that both IFAS systems achieved the same organic and nitrogen removal efficiencies without statistically significant difference. The NR ratio of 125% enhanced slightly the denitrification in the anoxic zones of both systems. The media increased the anoxic denitrification at the NR ratio of 100%. The SND in the biofilm was found insignificant in both systems. It was evident that suspended-growth microorganisms stored substrates internally in the cells under anoxic conditions due to insufficient retention time. The aerobic denitrifiers including Chryseobacterium sp., Klebsiella pneumonia, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were abundant in both IFAS systems providing aerobic denitrification with storage products as carbon sources. In summary, the denitrification in the anoxic zone and SND in the biofilm of the aerobic zone, both were enhanced by the fixed film media, did not contribute significantly to the IFAS system for the biological nitrogen removal because of microbial storage products and aerobic denitrification of several aerobic denitrifiers.

An A2O-MBR system for simultaneous biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal from brewery wastewater at various nitrate recirculation ratios

Anaerobic/Anoxic/Oxic – Membrane BioReactor (A2O-MBR) system including A2O unit at short solids retention time (SRT) for accumulation of PO43--P and MBR at long SRT for nitrification of NH4+-N was used to enhance simultaneous removal of nitrogen and phosphorus from brewery wastewater. The model of A2O-MBR system made from polyacrylic with the capacity of 49.5 liters was operated with organic loading rate of 0.75 kgCOD/m3.day. Nitrate recycling ratio was increased from 100 to 300% while sludge recirculation ratio was maintained at 100%. The results showed that for the nitrate recycling ratios of 100, 200, 300%, average NH4+-N and total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiencies of the model were 95.7 and 72.4, 99.2 and 86.7, 99.3 and 89.6%, respectively. The removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total phosphorus (TP) were over 90 and 75%, respectively, regardless of nitrate recirculation ratio. The output values of COD, NH4+-N, TN and TP were within the limits of Vietnam National Technical Regulation on Industrial Wastewater (QCVN 40:2011/BTNMT), column A, throughout the experiments. The model with recommended system configuration and optimum operational conditions could treat not only nitrogen but also phosphorus well due to appropriate nitrate recycling ratios.

Mainstream nitrogen separation and side-stream removal to reduce discharge and footprint of wastewater treatment plants

The activated sludge process is efficient for pollutant removal, but was criticized for its large upfront investment and land area requirements. Improving nitrogen removal to levels sufficient to reduce eutrophication is a challenge to conventional nitrification and denitrification, which is limited by process configuration (with nitrate recirculation) and environmental inhibition. To satisfy stringent discharge standards within a compact plant footprint, a sustainable strategy by moving nitrogen removal from mainstream to side-stream is designed by a cycle of ammonium exchange, regeneration and nitrogen removal (AERN), combined with biological and physiochemical technologies. Ammonium was rapidly captured by ion exchangers, then exchanged into regenerant, and converted to N2 by chlorination or Sharon-anaerobic ammonia oxidation in the side-stream. The AERN cycle can be combined with a high-rate anaerobic/aerobic process and chemical phosphorus removal to construct a HAERN process, or inserted between a coagulation-sedimentation tank and a membrane bioreactor to construct a CAERNM process. Two AERN-based systems both achieved efficient pollutants removal (especially for nitrogen removal of 86.8–93.7%) in long-term running, and didn't impair exchange capacity and properties of ion exchangers. Compared with the conventional anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic process, AERN-based processes reduce land occupancy, upfront investments, and treatment costs by 59.9–71.1%, 25.5–38.0% and 2.3–31.0%, respectively.

An iron-carbon-activated carbon and zeolite composite filter, anaerobic-aerobic integrated denitrification device for nitrogen removal in low C/N ratio sewage.

In this study, we use an anaerobic-aerobic integrated denitrification (Fe/C-ZACID) device with an iron-carbon-activated carbon and zeolite composite filter to remove nitrogen from simulated low carbon-nitrogen ratio (C/N) sewage. The impacts of dissolved oxygen (DO) level, hydraulic retention time (HRT), C/N and nitrate recirculation ratio on denitrification performance were studied. The results show that when HRT was 6 h, DO was 3 ± 0.1 mg/L, influent C/N was 3, and nitrate recirculation ratio was 100%, and removal rates of 95% for ammonia and 85% for total nitrogen (TN) were achieved. A beaker comparison test demonstrated that this synergistic denitrification system included heterotrophic denitrification, physicochemical denitrification, iron autotrophic denitrification and hydrogen autotrophic denitrification, etc. The Fe/C-ZACID device has a high-efficiency nitrogen removal effect for low C/N ratio sewage and strong shock resistance, which provides technical support and a theoretical basis for advanced denitrification of rural domestic sewage.

An Ana-Ano-MBR system for nutrient removal from brewery wastewater at various nitrate recirculation ratios

Anaerobic and anoxic variations were combined with membrane bioreactor to form an Anaerobic/Anoxic configuration in MBR-based (Ana-Ano-MBR) system for improving the system performance in terms of organic degradation and nutrient removal from brewery wastewater. The model of Ana-Ano-MBR system made from polyacrylic with the capacity of 42 liters was operated with organic loading rate of 0.75 kgCOD/m3.day. The results showed that for the nitrate recycling ratios of 100, 200, 300%, average NH4+-N and TN removal efficiencies of the model were 95.1 and 76.6, 98.5 and 89.6, 98.9 and 90.2%, respectively, and the output values of NH4+-N and TN were within the limits of Vietnam National Standards (QCVN 40:2011/BTNMT, column A). Treatment efficiencies of COD and TP were over 90% and below 60%, respectively, during the whole experiment period. Low phosphorus removal efficiency was the drawback of Ana-Ano-MBR system due to the lack of appropriate system configuration and operational conditions for PAOs’ growth and activity.

Simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal from anaerobic effluent of the cassava ethanol industry

This study investigated the simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal from anaerobic effluent of cassava stillage using a lab-scale integrated system consisting of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor and an activated sludge (AS) process. Simultaneous denitrification and methanogenesis (SDM) was observed in the UASB with nitrate recirculation. Compared with the blank reactor without recirculation, the overall chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies in the combined system with nitrate recirculation were similar (80-90%), while the TN removal efficiencies were significantly improved from 4.7% to 71.0%. Additionally, the anaerobic COD removal efficiencies increased from 21% to 40% as the recirculation ratio decreased from 3 to 1. Although the influent nitrate concentrations fluctuated (60-140mgN/L), the nitrate removal efficiencies could be maintained at about 97% under different recirculation conditions. With the decreasing recirculation ratio from 3 to 1, the CH4 content in biogas improved from 2% to 40% while the N2 content reduced from 95.8% to 50.6%. The 16S rDNA sequencing results indicated that bacteria diversity in anaerobic SDM granular sludge was much higher than archaea. The effect of recirculation ratios on the bacterial and archaeal communities in SDM granular sludge could be further confirmed by the relative abundance of denitrifying bacteria.

Improving nitrogen removal using a fuzzy neural network-based control system in the anoxic/oxic process.

Due to the inherent complexity, uncertainty, and posterity in operating a biological wastewater treatment process, it is difficult to control nitrogen removal in the biological wastewater treatment process. In order to cope with this problem and perform a cost-effective operation, an integrated neural-fuzzy control system including a fuzzy neural network (FNN) predicted model for forecasting the nitrate concentration of the last anoxic zone and a FNN controller were developed to control the nitrate recirculation flow and realize nitrogen removal in an anoxic/oxic (A/O) process. In order to improve the network performance, a self-learning ability embedded in the FNN model was emphasized for improving the rule extraction performance. The results indicate that reasonable forecasting and control performances had been achieved through the developed control system. The effluent COD, TN, and the operation cost were reduced by about 14, 10.5, and 17 %, respectively.

The BIOZO process – a biofilm system combined with ozonation: occurrence of xenobiotic organic micro-pollutants in and removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrogen from landfill leachate

We present an assessment of xenobiotic organic micro-pollutants (XOM) occurrence and removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in a novel biofilm system combined with ozonation, the BIOZO concept, treating partly stabilised landfill leachate. A novel, staged moving-bed biofilm reactor (SMBBR) design was implemented in laboratory- and pilot-scale, and the PAHs removal efficiency of controlled ozonation was assessed installing the ozonation step in the nitrate recirculation line (Position 1) or between the pre-anoxic and aerobic zones (Position 2). COD removal in a laboratory- and in a pilot-scale SMBBR system with and without ozonation is additionally addressed. Results obtained in a screening study (GC-ToF-MS) were used to compile a priority list of XOMs in leachate based on relative occurrence, showing PAHs as the predominant fraction. Biological treatment is shown to be an effective means to remove PAHs detected in the aqueous phase. PAH removal takes in most part place in the pre-anoxic zone, thereby decreasing toxicity exhibited by PAH on autotrophic nitrifier bacteria in the aerobic zone. Ozonation installed in Position 2 is shown to be superior over Position I in terms of COD, PAH and nitrogen removal efficiencies. We additionally demonstrate the potential of intermittent sludge ozonation as a means to decrease PAH concentrations in sludge wasted and to improve nitrogen removal in the BIOZO system.

Enhanced Biological Nutrients Removal in Modified Step-feed Anaerobic/Anoxic/Oxic Process

In order to enhance phosphorus removal in traditional step-feed anoxic/oxic nitrogen removal process, a modified pilot-scale step-feed anaerobic/anoxic/oxic (SFA 2/O) system was developed, which combined a reactor similar to UCT-type configuration and two-stage anoxic/oxic process. The simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal capacities and the potential of denitrifying phosphorus removal, in particular, were investigated with four different feeding patterns using real municipal wastewater. The results showed that the feeding ratios ( Q 1) in the first stage determined the nutrient removal performance in the SFA 2/O system. The average phosphorus removal efficiency increased from 19.17% to 96.25% as Q 1 was gradually increased from run 1 to run 4, but the nitrogen removal efficiency exhibited a different tendency, which attained a maximum 73.61% in run 3 and then decreased to 59.62% in run 4. As a compromise between nitrogen and phosphorus removal, run 3 ( Q 10.45 Q total) was identified as the optimal and stable case with the maximum anoxic phosphorus uptake rate of 1.58 mg·(g MLSS) −1·h −1. The results of batch tests showed that ratio of the anoxic phosphate uptake capacity to the aerobic phosphate uptake capacity increased from 11.96% to 36.85% with the optimal influent feeding ratio to the system in run 3, which demonstrated that the denitrifying polyP accumulating organisms could be accumulated and contributed more to the total phosphorus removal by optimizing the inflow ratio distribution. However, the nitrate recirculation to anoxic zone and influent feeding ratios should be carefully controlled for carbon source saving.

Effects of Operational Variables on Nitrogen Removal Performances and Its Control in a Pre‐Denitrification Plant

AbstractThe aim of this work is to study the effects of six operational variables, i.e., dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrate recirculation flow, sludge recycle flow, sludge wastage flow, external carbon dosage, and anoxic volume fraction, on the performance of nitrogen removal and its control in a pre‐denitrification plant. The results obtained show that the six operational variables have a significant influence on nitrogen removal in such a system, while the utilization of the control strategies can improve the situation to a significant extent. The control of DO concentration should be correlated with the influent ammonia load, the effluent requirement and nitrification type. The anoxic effluent nitrate concentration should be controlled at ca. 2 mg/L or the ORP value at the end of the anoxic zone should be controlled at ca. –90 mV. The control of the sludge recycling flow by online monitoring of the sludge blanket height (SBH), is an alternative to the conventional control of the constant sludge recycle flow. It may be possible to achieve the automatic control of sludge wastage flow by online measuring of the ammonia concentration and the nitrification capacity of the sludge. The recirculation of nitrate and external carbon dosage should be simultaneously controlled to optimize nitrogen removal. The anoxic volume fraction should also be optimized, to ensure a good balance between nitrification and denitrification.

Improving nitrogen removal using on-line sensors in the A/O process

A bench-scale anoxic–oxic (A/O) system was used to treat a synthetic starch wastewater for 1 year. The objectives were to improve nitrogen removal and reduce operating costs by using on-line sensors DO, pH and ORP. It is found that the DO in the first aerobic zone could be used to estimate influent ammonia load under constant aeration. The pH profiles and DO profiles along the length of aerobic zones give good indication of the nitrification, and the pH profiles in the aerobic zones and anoxic zones could be classified into two types: descending and rising type. Further, ORP value at the end of aerobic zone showed a good correlation with the effluent ammonia and nitrate nitrogen concentration, good effluent quality corresponded with the range of 40–60 mV of ORP in this study. ORP was also correlated well with nitrate concentration at the end of anoxic zone, and the maximum denitrification capacity could be achieved when ORP was maintained at about −90 mV. A fuzzy inference system for on-line aeration, nitrate recirculation flow and external carbon dosage control is developed on the basis of these observations and is implemented on the bench-scale system. Promising control performance is achieved.

Optimisation of anaerobic/anoxic/oxic process to improve performance and reduce operating costs

AbstractA laboratory‐scale anaerobic/anoxic/oxic reactor system was used to treat synthetic brewery wastewater for 1 year. The objectives were to enhance denitrifying phosphorus removal, improve biological nutrient removal and reduce operating costs. Three operational strategies were tested: (1) controlling nitrate recirculation to stimulate the growth of denitrifying phosphate‐accumulating organisms; (2) adjusting the volume ratio of the anaerobic/anoxic/oxic zones to enhance anoxic P uptake; (3) bypassing a part of the influent flow into the anoxic zone to maximise anoxic P uptake and denitrification. The results showed that not only was anoxic P uptake enhanced but also energy consumption for aeration could be reduced when the anoxic effluent NO3−‐N concentration was controlled between 1 and 3 mg L−1. The optimal volume ratio of the anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic zones in this system was found to be 1:1:2. The optimal bypass flow ratio was 0.32. The results indicated that the optimal strategies could improve treatment performance and reduce operational costs, but there was still a challenge to treat wastewater with low C/N ratio. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry

Fuzzy control of nitrogen removal in predenitrification process using ORP

In order to meet increasingly stringent discharge standards, new applications and control strategies for the sustainable removal of nitrogen from wastewater have to be implemented. In the past years, numerous studies have been carried out dealing with the application of fuzzy logic to improve the control of the activated sludge process. In this paper, fuzzy control strategies of predenitrification systems are presented that could lead to better effluent quality and, in parallel, to a reduction of chemicals consumption. Extensive experimental investigations on lab scale plant studies have shown that there was excellent correlation between nitrate concentration and ORP value at the end of the anoxic zone. Results indicated that ORP could be used as an on-line fuzzy control parameter of nitrate recirculation and external carbon addition. The optimal value of ORP to control nitrate recirculation and external carbon addition was - 86 +/- 2 mV and - 90 +/- 2 mV, respectively. The results obtained with real wastewater also showed the good performance and stability of the fuzzy controllers independently from external disturbances. The integrated control structure of nitrate recirculation and external carbon addition in the predenitrification system is also presented.

Dynamic evaluation of integrated control strategies for enhanced nitrogen removal in activated sludge processes

In this paper, six different strategies for integrated control of nitrate recirculation flow rate and external carbon addition in a pre-denitrifying biological wastewater treatment system are proposed and evaluated using the COST simulation benchmark. The proposed control strategies consist of two or three feedback control loops, which manipulate the nitrate recirculation and the carbon dosage flow rates in an integrated manner, such that the consumption of external carbon is minimized while the nitrate discharge limits are met. The control systems require measurements of nitrate concentrations at the end of both the anoxic and the aerobic zones. A number of simulations are performed and the results show that the control strategies can maintain the designated effluent quality in the presence of external disturbances, while obtaining excellent results in terms of consumption of external carbon, as well as meeting the general plant performance and controller criteria as defined by the benchmark group.

Integrated control of nitrate recirculation and external carbon addition in a predenitrification system

The integrated control of nitrate recirculation and external carbon addition in a predenitrification biological wastewater treatment system is studied. The proposed control structure consists of four feedback control loops, which manipulate the nitrate recirculation and the carbon dosage flows in a highly coordinated manner such that the consumption of external carbon is minimised while the nitrate discharge limits (based on both grab and composite samples) are met. The control system requires the measurement of the nitrate concentrations at the end of both the anoxic and the aerobic zones. Distinct from ordinary control systems, which typically minimise the variation in the controlled variables, the proposed control system essentially maximises the diurnal variation of the effluent nitrate concentration and through this maximises the use of influent COD for denitrification, thus minimising the requirement for external carbon source. Simulation studies using a commonly accepted simulation benchmark show that the controlled system consistently achieves the designated effluent quality with minimum costs.

Exploiting online in-situ ammonium, nitrate and phosphate sensors in full-scale wastewater plant operation

In-situ nutrient sensors are now a proven technology. Having ion membranes eliminates the need for ultrafiltration, and consequently the sensors can be located at suitable places in any of the reactors. This gives the potential for new control structures for the control of nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus removal. In the paper some examples of such controllers are demonstrated as used in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant. A successful control implementation scheme at full-scale plants includes three steps: monitoring, experimenting and controlling. The benefit of implementing process control based on nutrient sensors is real: by implementing precipitation dosage control a savings of 41% compared to flow proportional dosage can be reached, while the savings compared to constant dosage is 73%. An increase in nitrate recirculation shows significant improvement in the nitrogen removal ability at very low cost. Reliable nutrient sensors are not the only prerequisite for a successful control system. The design of actuators, such as drives, compressors and valves, is often overlooked. Furthermore, the lower level controllers have to work properly before the more advanced controllers can work adequately. A collection of practical experience regarding such issues is given in this paper.

Control of nitrate recirculation flow in predenitrification systems

The control of the nitrate recirculation flow in a predenitrification system is addressed. An elementary mass balance analysis on the utilisation efficiency of the influent biodegradable COD (bCOD) for nitrate removal indicates that the control problem can be broken down into two parts: maintaining the "anoxic" zone anoxic (i.e. nitrate is present throughout the anoxic zone) and maximising the usage of influent soluble bCOD for denitrification. Simulation studies using the Simulation Benchmark developed in the European COST program show that both objectives can be achieved by maintaining the nitrate concentration at the outlet of the anoxic zone at around 2 mgN/L. This setpoint appears to be robust towards variations in the influent characteristics and sludge kinetics.

Control of External Carbon Addition to Predenitrifying Systems

The external carbon dosage control is studied for the predenitrification processes without the on-line controllability of the nitrate recirculation flow. The control objective is to minimize the external carbon use while keeping the average effluent nitrate concentration below its standard. The proposed strategy is to control the nitrate concentration in the anoxic zone at a low set-point. A model-based analysis of the denitrification process reveals that the optimal set-point for the nitrate concentration in the anoxic zone is about 1 mgs˙l−1. Three control laws are designed to control the anoxic zone nitrate concentration at its set-point for different measurement conditions. An effort is made in all the designs to make the control system as simple as possible. This includes the usage of simple control laws and few sensors, which reduces the implementation and maintenance cost of the control system. The analyses and designs are validated by simulation and experimental studies on a full-scale plant.

Strategies for Optimized Nitrate Reduction with Primary Denitrification

Full-scale tests carried out for the extension of a 700 000 PE treatment plant are used to show the consequences of advanced denitrification requirements. Three nitrate recirculation strategies were tested: feedback control via the nitrate content at the denitrification zone outflow, control via the redox potential and adaptive control of the recirculated nitrate load in accordance with the input of biodegradable materials, estimated on the basis of a BOD-MS measurement (3 minute BOD). In a situation in which advanced, process-stable primary denitrification has to be carried out in a restricted space, especially in large treatment plants, controlled nitrate recirculation oriented on the requirement for biodegradables is a feasible method. If denitrification is limited by lack of biodegradable substrate, supplements in line with denitrification requirements will be needed. The necessary control can be implemented via a measurement of BOD-M3 in the influent and measurement of nitrate content in the effluent from the activated sludge tank.