Nitrification at full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants: Evaluation of inhibition and bioaugmentation of nitrifiers.
Batch nitrification tests were conducted with sludge and wastewater streams obtained from field implementations to evaluate nitrification inhibition and efficiency of a nitrifiers bioaugmentation technology at full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The results showed that the substrate organic carbon and pH of wastewater streams were inhibitory factors to nitrification and the low pH was the cause of the WWTP experiencing poor nitrification. An ammonia-nitrogen removal rate of 0.21mg-N/gMLVSS-h was observed at pH 6.5, while the rate increased to 0.54mg-N/gMLVSS-h with an introduction of 6% bioaugmented nitrifiers, indicating that the integrated side-stream nitrifiers bioaugmentation process was beneficial in improving nitrification efficiency, even under low pH conditions not conducive to nitrification. The study provides new insights into effective upgrading of municipal WWTPs exposed to poor nitrification.
Department of Water Engineering and Science, College of Civil Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan 410082, China. Electronic address: HLT@HNU.EDU.CN.
Hao L
HL
Tang
College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030024, China.
Hongping
H
Chen
D000641:Ammonia / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D058465:Nitrification / Q000502:physiology; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation*
D000641:Ammonia; D009584:Nitrogen; D012722:Sewage; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
Ammonia; Bioaugmentation; Inhibition; Nitrification; Nitrifier