An autotrophic nitrogen removal process：Short-cut nitrification combined with ANAMMOX for treating diluted effluent from an UASB reactor fed by landfill leachate

A combined process consisting of a short-cut nitrification (SN) reactor and an anaerobic ammonium oxidation upflow anaerobic sludge bed (ANAMMOX) reactor was developed to treat the diluted effluent from an upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor treating high ammonium municipal landfill leachate.The SN process was performed in an aerated upflow sludge bed (AUSB) reactor (working volume 3.05 L),treating about 50% of the diluted raw wastewater.The ammonium removal efficiency and the ratio of NO 2 N to NOx-N in the effluent were both higher than 80%,at a maximum nitrogen loading rate of 1.47 kg/(m 3 ·day).The ANAMMOX process was performed in an UASB reactor (working volume 8.5 L),using the mix of SN reactor effluent and diluted raw wastewater at a ratio of 1:1.The ammonium and nitrite removal efficiency reached over 93% and 95%,respectively,after 70-day continuous operation,at a maximum total nitrogen loading rate of 0.91 kg/(m 3 ·day),suggesting a successful operation of the combined process.The average nitrogen loading rate of the combined system was 0.56 kg/(m 3 ·day),with an average total inorganic nitrogen removal efficiency 87%.The nitrogen in the effluent was mostly nitrate.The results provided important evidence for the possibility of applying SN-ANAMMOX after UASB reactor to treat municipal landfill leachate.     

Removal of nitrogen from wastewater with perennial ryegrass/artificial aquatic mats biofilm combined system

To develop a cost-effective combined phytoremediation and biological process,a combined perennial ryegrass/artificial aquatic mat biofilm reactor was used to treat synthetic wastewater.Influent ammonium loading,reflux ratio,hydraulic retention time(HRT) and temperature all had significant effects on the treatment efficiency.The results indicated that the effluent concentration of ammonium increased with increasing influent ammonium loading.The reactor temperature played an important role in the nitrification process.The ammonium removal efficiency significantly decreased from 80% to 30%-50% when the reactor temperature dropped to below 10°C.In addition,the optimal nitrogen removal condition was a reflux ratio of 2.The nitrate and ammonium concentration of the effluent were consistent with the HRT of the combined system.The chemical oxygen demand(COD) removal efficiency was at a high level during the whole experiment,being almost 80% after the start-up,and then mostly above 90%.The direct uptake of N by the perennial ryegrass accounted for 18.17% of the total N removal by the whole system.The perennial ryegrass absorption was a significant contributor to nitrogen removal in the combined system.The result illustrated that the combined perennial ryegrass/artificial aquatic mat biofilm reactor demonstrated good performance in ammonium,total N and COD removal.     

Control factors of partial nitritation for landfill leachate treatment

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) technology has potential technical superiority and economical efficiency for the nitrogen removal from landfill leachate, which contains high-strength ammonium nitrogen (NH4 -N) and refractory organics. To complete the ANAMMOX process, a preceding partial nitritation step to produce the appropriate ratio of nitrite/ammonium is a key stage. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal conditions to acquire constant partial nitritation for landfill leachate treatment, and a bench scale fixed bed bio-film reactor was used in this study to investigate the effects of the running factors on the partial nitritation. The results showed that both the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and the ammonium volumetric loading rate (Nv) had effects on the partial nitritation. In the controlling conditions with a temperature of 30±1℃, Nv of 0.2-1.0 kg NH4 -N/(m3d), and DO concentration of 0.8-2.3 mg/L, the steady partial nitritation was achieved as follows: more than 94% partial nitritation efficiency (nitrite as the main product), 60%-74% NH4 -N removal efficiency, and NO2--N/NH4 -N ratio (concentration ratio) of 1.0-1.4 in the effluent. The impact of temperature was related to iVv at certain DO concentration, and the temperature range of 25-30癈 was suitable for treating high strength ammonium leachate. Ammonium-oxidizing bacteria could be acclimated to higher FA (free ammonium) in the range of 122-224 mg/L. According to the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis result of the bio-film in the reactor, there were 25 kinds of 16S rRNA gene fragments, which indicated that abundant microbial communities existed in the bio-film, although high concentrations of ammonium and FA may inhibit the growth of the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria and other microorganisms in the reactor.     

Nitrogen removal from sludge dewatering effluent through anaerobic ammonia oxidation process

Anaerobic ammonia oxidation（Anammox） process is a novel and promising wastewater nitrogen removal process. The feasibility of transition of Anammox from denitrification and the performance of lab-scale Anammox biofilm reactor were investigated with sludge dewatering effluent. The results showed that Anammox process could be successfully started up after cultivation of denitrification biofilm and using it as inoculum. The transition of Anammox from denitrification was accomplished within 85 d. Anammox process was found suitable to remove ammonia from sludge dewatering effluent. The effluent ammonia concentration was detected to be 23.11 mgN/L at HRT of 28 h when influent ammonia concentration was fed 245 mgN/L, which was less than that for the national discharge standard Ⅱ （25 rngN/L） of China. Volumetric total nitrogen loading rate was up to 584.99 mg TN/（L. d） at HRT of 17 h, while influent concentrations were kept 243.25 mg NH4＊ -N/L and 288.31 mg NO2^- -N/L.     

Oxidation behavior of ammonium in a 3-dimensional biofilm-electrode reactor

Excess nitrogenous compounds are detrimental to natural water systems and to human health. To completely realize autohy- drogenotrophic nitrogen removal, a novel 3-dimensional biofilm-electrode reactor was designed. Titanium was electroplated with ruthenium and used as the anode. Activated carbon fiber felt was used as the cathode. The reactor was separated into two chambers by a permeable membrane. The cathode chamber was filled with granular graphite and glass beads. The cathode and cathode chamber were inhabited with domesticated biofilm. In the absence of organic substances, a nitrogen removal efficiency of up to 91% was achieved at DO levels of 3.42 ± 0.37 mg/L when the applied current density was only 0.02 mA/cm^2. The oxidation of ammonium in biofilmelectrode reactors was also investigated. It was found that ammonium could be oxidized not only on the anode but also on particle electrodes in the cathode chamber of the biofilm-electrode reactor. Oxidation rates of ammonium and nitrogen removal efficiency were found to be affected by the electric current loading on the biofilm-electrode reactor. The kinetic model of ammonium at different electric currents was analyzed by a first-order reaction kinetics equation. The regression analysis implied that when the current density was less than 0.02 mA/cm^2, ammonium removal was positively correlated to the current density. However, when the current density was more than 0.02 mA/cm^2, the electric current became a limiting factor for the oxidation rate of ammonium and nitrogen removal efficiency.     

Flocculation performance of a novel synthesized flocculant with low ecological risk

Combined flocculants with low ecological risk are urgently required in water supply and wastewater treatment in China. A novel flocculant was thus developed under the condition of low ecological risk( noted as CAS).The experiments to examine wastewater treatment performance of the new product showed that there was favourable performance in the flocculation process in contrast to commercial flocculants in treating kaolin suspensions, municipal effluent and domestic wastewater. Flocculation performance included the turbidity removal rate, sediment character and a decrease in COD(chemical oxygen demand). The sediment time of flocculation is short and the removal rate of turbidity treated by CAS is high compared with PAC(polyaluminum-chloride), PAM (polyacrylamide) and the combined addition of PAC and PAM. The optimal concentration required to affect flocculation processes is dependent on kaolin concentration and the character of the wastewater within the range examined. It also showed that CAS is effective to treat wastewater with high turbidity.     

Treatment of phenol wastewater by microwave-induced ClO2-CuOx/Al2O3 catalytic oxidation process

The catalyst of CuOx/Al2O3 was prepared by the dipping-sedimentation method using γ-Al2O3 as a carrier. CuO and Cu2O were loaded on the surface of γ-Al2O3, characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In the presence of CuOx/Al2O3, the microwave-induced chlorine dioxide (ClO2) catalytic oxidation process was conducted for the treatment of synthetic wastewater containing 100 mg/L phenol. The relationships between removal percentage and initial ClO2 concentration, catalyst dosage, microwave power, contact time, initial phenol concentration and pH were investigated and the results showed that microwave-induced ClO2-CuOx/Al2O3 process could effectively degrade contaminants in a short reaction time with a low oxidant dosage, extensive pH range. Under a given condition (ClO2 concentration 80 mg/L, microwave power 50 W, contact time 5 min, catalyst dosage 50 g/L, pH 9), phenol removal percentage approached 92.24%, corresponding to 79.13% of CODCr removal. The removal of phenol by microwave-induced ClO2-CuOx/Al2O3 catalytic oxidation process was a complicated non-homogeneous solid/water reaction, which fitted pseudo-first-order by kinetics. Compared with traditional ClO2 oxidation, ClO2 catalytic oxidation and microwave-induced ClO2 oxidation, microwave-induced ClO2 catalytic oxidation system could significantly enhance the degradation efficiency. It provides an effective technology for the removal of phenol wastewater.     

Achieving and maintaining biological nitrogen removal via nitrite under normal conditions

The principal aim of this paper is to develop an approach to realize stable biological nitrogen removal via nitrite under normal conditions. Validation of the new method was established on laboratory-scale experiments applying the sequencing batch reactor（SBR） activated sludge process to domestic wastewater with low C/N ratio. The addition of sodium chloride（NaCI） to influent was established to achieve nitrite build-up. The high nitrite accumulation, depending on the salinity in influent and the application duration of salt, was obtained in SBRs treating saline wastewater. The maintenance results indicated that the real-time SBRs can maintain stable nitrite accumulation, but conversion from shorter nitrification-denitrification to full nitrification-denitrification was observed after some operation cycles in the other SBR with fixed-time control. The presented method is valuable to offer a solution to realize and to maintain nitrogen removal via nitrite under normal conditions.     

Pilot-scale experiments on multilevel contact oxidation treatment of poultry farm wastewater using saran lock carriers under different operation model

A pilot-scale multilevel contact oxidation reactors system, coupled with saran lock carriers,was applied for the treatment of poultry farm wastewater. The removal efficiencies of CODcr, ammonia, and the total nitrogen as well as the elimination performance of CODcr and total nitrogen along the three-level contact oxidation tanks under six designed operational models were investigated. Based on the performance of the nitrogen removal of the saran lock carriers and the distribution of anoxic–aerobic interspace under the suitable operation model, the mechanism of nitrogen removal of the system was also explored. The results revealed that the intermittent aeration under parallel model is the most suitable operation model, while the removal efficiencies of CODcr, ammonia, and the total nitrogen were 86.86%, 84.04%, and 80.96%, respectively. The effluent concentration of CODcr,ammonia, and the total nitrogen were 55.6 mg/L, 8.3 mg/L, and 12.0 mg/L, which satisfy both the discharge standard of pollutants for livestock and poultry breeding industry(GB18596–2001) and the first grade of the integrated wastewater discharge standard(GB 8978–1996). Moreover, the mechanism for the nitrogen removal should be attributed to the plenty of anoxic–aerobic interspaces of the biofilm and the three-dimensional spiral structure of the saran lock carriers, where the oxygen-deficient distribution was suitable for the happening of the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification process. Therefore, the multilevel contact oxidation tanks system is an effective pathway for the treatment of the poultry farm wastewater on the strength of a suitable operation model and novel carriers.     

Treatment of phenol wastewater by microwave-induced CIO_2-CuO_x/Al_2O_3 catalytic oxidation process

The catalyst of CuO_x/Al_2O_3 was prepared by the dipping-sedimentation method usingγ-Al_2O_3 as a supporter.CuO and Cu_2O were loaded on the surface of Al_2O_3,characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).In the presence of CuO_x/Al_2O_3,the microwave-induced chlorine dioxide(ClO_2) catalytic oxidation process was conducted for the treatment of synthetic wastewater containing 100 mg/L phenol.The factors influencing phenol removal were investigated and the results showed that microwave-induced ClO_2-CuO_x/Al_2O_3 process could effectively degrade contaminants in a short reaction time with a low oxidant dosage,extensive pH range.Under a given condition(ClO_2 concentration 80 mg/L,microwave power 50 W,contact time 5 min,catalyst dosage 50 g/L,pH 9),phenol removal percentage approached 92.24%,corresponding to 79.13% of COD_(Cr) removal.The removal of phenol by microwave-induced ClO_2-CuO_x/Al_2O_3 catalytic oxidation process was a complicated non-homogeneous solid/water reaction, which fitted pseudo-first-order by kinetics.Compared with traditional ClO_2 oxidation,ClO_2 catalytic oxidation and microwave-induced ClO_2 oxidation,microwave-induced ClO_2 catalytic oxidation system could significantly enhance the degradation efficiency.It provides an effective technology for the removal of phenol wastewater.     

Realizing stable operation of anaerobic ammonia oxidation at low temperatures treating low strength synthetic wastewater

The low activity of Anammox bacteria at low temperatures and competition from nitrite oxidation bacteria(NOB) when treating low strength wastewater have been major bottlenecks in implementing Anammox in mainstream wastewater treatment. By intermittent high strength feeding(IHSF) and stepwise temperature reduction, stable operation of a granular Anammox reactor was realized at low temperatures(down to 15°C) for 28 days when treating low strength synthetic wastewater. The nitrogen loading rate reached 1.23–1.34 kgN/m~3/day,and the total nitrogen removal rate reached 0.71–0.98 kgN/m~3/day. The IHSF enriched the Anammox sludge in high strength cycles and compensated for sludge loss in low strength cycles, and the high concentration of ammonium in high strength cycles inhibited NOB. The 16 SrRNA gene sequencing results revealed that Candidatus Kuenenia was predominant in the reactor at low temperatures.     

Biological removal of air loaded with a hydrogen sulfide and ammonia mixture

The nuisance impact of air pollutant emissions from wastewater pumping stations is a major issue of concern to China. Hydrogen sulfide and ammonia are commonly the primary odor and are important targets for removal. An alternative control technology, biofiltration, was studied. The aim of this study is to investigate the potential of unit systems packed with compost in terms of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide emissions treatment, and to establish optimal operating conditions for a full-scale conceptual design. The laboratory scale biofilter packed with compost was continuously supplied with hydrogen sulfide and ammonia gas mixtures. A volumetric load of less than 150 gH2S/(m^3.d) and 230 gNH3/(m^3.d) was applied for about fifteen weeks. Hydrogen sulfide and ammonia elimination occurred in the biofilter simultaneously. The removal efficiency, removal capacity and removal kinetics in the biofilter were studied. The hydrogen sulfide removal efficiency reached was very high above 99%, and ammonia removal efficiency was about 80%. Hydrogen sulfide was oxidized into sulphate. The ammonia oxidation products were nitrite and nitrate. Ammonia in the biofilter was mainly removed by adsorption onto the carrier material and by absorption into the water fraction of the carrier material. High percentages of hydrogen sulfide or ammonia were oxidized in the first section of the column. Through kinetics analysis, the presence of ammonia did not hinder the hydrogen sulfide removal. According to the relationship between pressure drop and gas velocity for the biofilter and Reynolds number, non-Darcy flow can be assumed to represent the flow in the medium.     

Inhibitive effects of chlortetracycline on performance of the nitritation-anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process and strategies for recovery

The short-and long-term effects of chlortetracycline(CTC) on the nitritation-anaerobic ammonium oxidation(anammox) process were evaluated. The half maximal inhibitory concentration of CTC in the batch tests of the nitritation-anammox process was 278.91 mg/L at an exposure time of 12 hr. The long-term effects of CTC on the process were examined in a continuous-flow nitritation-anammox reactor. Within 14 days, the nitrogen removal rate significantly decreased from 0.61 to 0.25 kg N/m~3/day with 60 mg/L CTC in the influent.The performance suppressed by CTC barely recovered, even after CTC was removed from the influent. Furthermore, the inhibition of CTC also reduced the relative abundance of ammonium oxidizing bacteria(AOB) and anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria(An AOB)in the reactor, resulting in both a decreased amount of and an imbalance between AOB and An AOB. When fresh anammox sludge was reseeded into the nitritation-anammox reactor,the nitrogen removal rate recovered to 0.09 ± 0.03 kg N/m~3/day.     

Start-up of anaerobic ammonia oxidation bioreactor with nitrifying activated sludge

The anaerobic ammonia oxidation(Anammox) bioreactor was successfully started up with the nitrifying activated sludge. After anaerobically operated for 105 d, the bioreactor reached a good performance with removal percentage of both ammonia and nitrite higher than 95% and volumetric total nitrogen removal as high as 149.55 mmol/( L. d). The soft padding made an important contribution to the high efficiency and stability because it held a large amount of biomass in the bioreactor.     

Removement of thiocyanate from industrial wastewater by microwave-Fenton oxidation method

The microwave radiation oxidation process, Fenton as catalytic agent, was used to remove the thiocyanate from the industrial wastewater. The effects of microwave power, radiation time, pH and the feeding in ways of catalyst on the degradation rate of synthetic wastewater were investigated using the microwave radiation oxidation process by orthogonal experiment. The results show Fenton catalyst ratio was 1:20, the microwave radiation power was 900 W, the microwave radiation time was 7 min and the value of pH was 3. Under the optimum conditions, the removal of KSCN can reach over 90%. The apparent kinetics of removal was studied, which conformed to kinetics first-class reaction. In short, for the thiocyanate from the industrial wastewater, microwave-Fenton oxidation method is feasible and effective.     

Degradation mechanism of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene in supercritical water oxidation

The 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene(TNT)is a potential carcinogens and TNT contaminated wastewater,which could not be effectively disposed with conventional treatments.The supercritical water oxidation(SCWO)to treat TNT contaminated wastewater was studied in this article.The TNT concentration in wastewater was measured by high-performance liquid chromatograph(HPLC)and the degraded intermediates were analyzed using GC-MS.The results showed that SCWO could degrade TNT efficiently in the presence of oxygen.The reaction temperature,pressure,residence time and oxygen excess were the main contributing factors in the process.The decomposition of TNT was accelerated as the temperature or residence time increased.At 550℃,24 MPa,120 s and oxygen excess 300%,TNT removal rate could exceed 99.9%.Partial oxidation occured in SCWO without oxygen.It was concluded that supercritical water was a good solvent and had excellent oxidation capability in the existence of oxygen.The main intermediates of TNT during SCWO included toluene,1,3,5-trinitrobenzene,nitrophenol,naphthalene,fluorenone,dibutyl phthalate,alkanes and several dimers based on the intermediate analysis.Some side reactions,such as coupled reaction,hydrolysis reaction and isomerization reaction may take place simultaneously when TNT was oxidized by SCWO.     

Nitrification characteristics of nitrobacteria immobilized in waterborne polyurethane in wastewater of corn-based ethanol fuel production

A technology to achieve stable and high ammonia nitrogen removal rates for corn distillery wastewater (ethanol fuel production) treatment has been designed. The characteristics of nitrifying bacteria entrapped in a waterborne polyurethane (WPU) gel carrier were evaluated after acclimation. In the acclimation period, nitrification rates of WPU-immobilized nitrobacteria were monitored and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was also carried out to investigate the change in ammonium-oxidizing bacteria. The results showed that the pellet nitrification rates increased from 21 to 228 mg-N/(L-pellet. hr) and the quantity of the ammonia oxidation bacteria increased substantially during the acclimation. A continuous ammonia removal experiment with the anaerobic pond effluent of a distillery wastewater system was conducted with immobilized nitrifying bacteria for 30 days using an 80 L airlift reactor with pellets at a fill ratio of 15% (V/V). Under the conditions of 75 mg/L influent ammonia, hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 3.7--5.6 hr, and dissolved oxygen (DO) of 4 mg/L, the effluent ammonia concentration was lower than 10 mg/L and the ammonia removal efficiency was 90%. While the highest ammonia removal rate, 162 mg-N/(L-pellet.hr), was observed when the HRT was 1.3 hr.     

Chemical oxygen demand reduction in coffee wastewater through chemical flocculation and advanced oxidation processes

The removal of the natural organic matter present in coffee processing wastewater through chemical coagulation-flocculation and advanced oxidation processes （AOP） had been studied. The effectiveness of the removal of natural organic matter using commercial flocculants and UV/H202, UV/O3 and UV/H2O2/O3 processes was determined under acidic conditions. For each of these processes, different operational conditions were explored to optimize the treatment efficiency of the coffee wastewater. Coffee wastewater is characterized by a high chemical oxygen demand （COD） and low total suspended solids. The outcomes of coffee wastewater treatment using coagulation-flocculation and photodegradation processes were assessed in terms of reduction of COD, color, and turbidity. It was found that a reduction in COD of 67% could be realized when the coffee wastewater was treated by chemical coagulation-flocculation with lime and coagulant T-1. When coffee wastewater was treated by coagulation-flocculation in combination with UV/H2O2, a COD reduction of 86% was achieved, although only after prolonged UV irradiation. Of the three advanced oxidation processes considered, UV/H2O2, UV/O3 and UV/H2O2/O3, we found that the treatment with UV/H2O2/O3 was the most effective, with an efficiency of color, turbidity and further COD removal of 87%, when applied to the flocculated coffee wastewater.     

Treatment of desizing wastewater from the textile industry by wet air oxidation

This paper describes the application of wet air oxidation to the treatment of desizing wastewater from two textile companies. A two-liter high temperature, high pressure autoclave reactor was used in the study. The range of operating temperatures examined was between 150 and 290℃, and the partial pressure of oxygen ranged from 0. 375 to 2.25 MPa. Variations in pH,CODCr and TOD content were monitored during each experiment and used to assess the extent of conversion of the process. The effects of temperature, pressure and reaction time were explored extensively. More than 90 ％ CODCr reduction and 80 ％ TOC removal have been obtained. The results have also been demonstrated that WAO is a suitable pre-treatment methods due to improvement of the BOD5/CODCr ratio of desizing wastewater. The reaction kinetics of wet air oxidation of desizing wastewater has been proved to be two steps, a fast reaction followed by a slow reaction stage.     

2-Chlorophenol oxidation kinetic by photo-assisted Fenton process

Experimental data are presented to test and validate a kinetic model for the oxidation of 2-chlorophenol wastewater by photo-assisted Fenton process. The data showed that this process had produced good effects under acidic conductions. Up to 90% 2-chlorophenol was removed after 90-minute reaction time with H2O2 of 25% CODCr. in, while in UV/H2O2 system ordy 16.8% 2-chlorophenol was removed after one hour treatment. The optimal pH in this reaction occurred between pH 3.0 and pH 4.0. The reaction kinetics for photo-assisted Fenton process experimented in this research was investigated. Kinetic models were proposed for the treatment of 2-chlorophenol wastewater. The reaction was found to follow the 2nd order. The equations of reaction kinetics are as follows:-d[RH]/dt=KRH[RH][H2O2]0exp(-KH2o2t);-d[CODCr]/dt=KCODCr[CODCr][H2O2]0exp(-K′t).The prediction of the models was found to be in a good agreement with experimental results, thus confimfing the proposed reaction mechanism.