Abstract
The presence of nitrogen compounds in a wastewater treatment effluent causes numerous serious environmental impacts. Conventional methods for biological wastewater treatment do not provide complete nitrogen removal.
This research deals with the development of an innovative system for complete nitrogen removal. Use of the immobilized autotrophs allows nitrification to be separated from organic matter removal. As a result, BOD can be treated by denitrification at the second stage.
This chapter combines results of 3 years of research aimed at the development of the above system. The specific objectives of the research included selection of the most suitable gel, development of the appropriate biomass immobilization procedure, determination of optimal operation parameters, and a study of the stability and efficiency of the complete system.
Based on literature data and laboratory experiments, PVA gel was selected for immobilization of the autotrophic bacteria. It demonstrated high physical stability and low toxicity for the biomass during its immobilization.
The following three concerns were subjects of the performed research. First of all, conducting the nitrification at the first treatment stage poses a risk of toxicity of the raw wastewater compounds. Secondly, in the presence of high BOD, heterotrophic bacteria may be developed on the gel particle surface, thus inhibiting mass transfer of ammonia and DO; and finally, whether or not the proposed system can be used for seasonal ammonia fertilizer demand, when the effluent is used for irrigation.
The results indicated that raw wastewater containing sulfide ions was toxic to the nitrifiers. However short-term aeration easily eliminated that effect. The effect of heterotrophs on the nitrification was examined by running of the continuous flow experiments. The results showed that a high nitrification rate of up to 50 mgNH4 +-N L“’h”’ can be reached.
The selected method for bacteria immobilization was applied for verification of the feasibility of nitrification interruption for agricultural needs. The results showed that nitrification rate was successfully recovered after 3 months of ammonia starvation. Reactor that received small ammonia portions on a weekly basis demonstrated excellent immediate recovery.
Two additional subjects are currently being studied: selection of the most appropriate type of nitrification reactor providing effective washout of the suspended solids and the most cost-effective method of the autotrophic biomass development.
A pilot-scale system for estimation of the stability and efficiency of the complete process (nitrogen and BOD removal) has been built.
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Argaman, Y., Libman, V., Papkov, G. (2002). Biological Nitrogen Removal Using Immobilized Bacteria. In: Rubin, H., Shamir, U., Nachtnebel, P., Fürst, J. (eds) Water Resources Quality. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56013-2_23
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56013-2_23
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