title: Simultaneous removal of organic matter and nitrogen compounds by an aerobic/anoxic membrane biofilm reactor.
abstract: The hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) has been well studied and applied for denitrification of nitrate-containing water and wastewater. Adding an oxygen-based MBfR allows total-nitrogen removal when the input nitrogen is ammonium. However, most wastewaters also contain a significant concentration or organic material, measured as chemical oxygen demand (COD). This study describes experiments to investigate the removal of organic and nitrogenous compounds in the combined Aerobic/Anoxic MBfR, in which an Aerobic MBfR (Aer MBfR) precedes an Anoxic MBfR (An MBfR). The experiments demonstrate that the Aer/An MBfR combination accomplished COD oxidation and nitrogen removal for a total oxygen demand flux (i.e., from COD and NH(4) oxidations) in the range of 1.2-7.2 g O(2)/m(2)-d for 4.5 psi (0.3 atm) oxygen pressure to the Aer MBfR, but was overloaded and did not accomplish nitrification for the total oxygen demand load higher than 14 g O(2)/m(2)-d. Total-nitrogen removal was controlled by nitrification in the Aer MBfR, because the An MBfR denitrified all NO(3)(-) provided to it by the Aer MBfR. The overload of total oxygen demand did not affect COD oxidation in the Aer MBfR, but caused a small increase of COD in the An MBfR due to net release of soluble microbial products (SMP).
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, P.O. Box 875701, Tempe, AZ 85287-5701, USA. hhasar@firat.edu.tr
authors.forename: Halil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hasar
authors.forename: Siqing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Chang Hoon
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Bruce E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Rittmann
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D018441:Biofilms; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D017672:Nitrogen Compounds / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D017672:Nitrogen Compounds; D009930:Organic Chemicals