Potential of nitrous oxide recovery from an aerobic/oxic/anoxic SBR process

A single sequencing batch reactor (SBR) with an operating mode of anaerobic/oxic/anoxic (A/O/A) was developed to determine a simpler process to recover nitrous oxide (N2O) from synthetic wastewater containing ammonia and glucose. This SBR system was initiated in A/O mode to implement nitritation (ammonia to nitrite) and then switched to A/O/A mode. Using measurements of the dissolved N2O concentration and release rate, the total production and conversion rate of N2O were calculated to reveal the potential of producing and recovering N2O in the extended anoxic phase. Results showed that the A/O/A SBR could convert the majority of the nitrite available in the system into N2O by heterotrophic denitritation over longer anoxic periods, and a conversion rate of 77% could be achieved. As a consequence, the A/O/A SBR presents potential ability to produce and recover N2O from wastewater containing ammonia and organic carbon.