title: Denitrification of high strength nitrate waste from a nuclear industry using acclimatized biomass in a pilot scale reactor.
abstract: This work investigates the performance of acclimatized biomass for denitrification of high strength nitrate waste (10,000 mg/L NO3) from a nuclear industry in a continuous laboratory scale (32 L) and pilot scale reactor (330 L) operated over a period of 4 and 5 months, respectively. Effect of substrate fluctuations (mainly C/NO3-N) on denitrification was studied in a laboratory scale reactor. Incomplete denitrification (95-96 %) was observed at low C/NO3-N (≤2), whereas at high C/NO3-N (≥2.25) led to ammonia formation. Ammonia production increased from 1 to 9 % with an increase in C/NO3-N from 2.25 to 6. Complete denitrification and no ammonia formation were observed at an optimum C/NO3-N of 2.0. Microbiological studies showed decrease in denitrifiers and increase in nitrite-oxidizing bacteria and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria at high C/NO3-N (≥2.25). Pilot scale studies were carried out with optimum C/NO3-N, and sustainability of the process was checked on the pilot scale for 5 months.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad, 500078, India, pradipdhamole@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Pradip B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Dhamole
authors.forename: Rashmi R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.forename: Stanislaus F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: D'Souza
authors.forename: Aniruddha B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Pandit
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lele
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization; D000641:Ammonia / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D019149:Bioreactors; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D058440:Denitrification / Q000502:physiology*; D005285:Fermentation; D007220:Industrial Waste; D059013:Microbial Consortia / Q000502:physiology*; D009566:Nitrates / Q000378:metabolism*; D011850:Radioactive Waste
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D009566:Nitrates; D011850:Radioactive Waste; D000641:Ammonia