title: Enhancing nitrogen removal from low carbon to nitrogen ratio wastewater by using a novel sequencing batch biofilm reactor.
abstract: Removing nitrogen from wastewater with low chemical oxygen demand/total nitrogen (COD/TN) ratio is a difficult task due to the insufficient carbon source available for denitrification. Therefore, in the present work, a novel sequencing batch biofilm reactor (NSBBR) was developed to enhance the nitrogen removal from wastewater with low COD/TN ratio. The NSBBR was divided into two units separated by a vertical clapboard. Alternate feeding and aeration was performed in the two units, which created an anoxic unit with rich substrate content and an aeration unit deficient in substrate simultaneously. Therefore, the utilization of the influent carbon source for denitrification was increased, leading to higher TN removal compared to conventional SBBR (CSBBR) operation. The results show that the CSBBR removed up to 76.8%, 44.5% and 10.4% of TN, respectively, at three tested COD/TN ratios (9.0, 4.8 and 2.5). In contrast, the TN removal of the NSBBR could reach 81.9%, 60.5% and 26.6%, respectively, at the corresponding COD/TN ratios. Therefore, better TN removal performance could be achieved in the NSBBR, especially at low COD/TN ratios (4.8 and 2.5). Furthermore, it is easy to upgrade a CSBBR into an NSBBR in practice.
authors.affiliation: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China. Electronic address: zoujinte221@126.com.
authors.forename: Jinte
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address: tanweilijun@zjut.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Yongjiong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.affiliation: College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Su
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Chemical oxygen demand/Total nitrogen (COD/TN) ratio; Dissolved oxygen; Nitrogen removal; Novel sequencing batch biofilm reactor (NSBBR); Simultaneous nitrification–denitrification (SND)