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Updated: Feb 22, 2026
A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities
Published on: December 25, 2015
Nitrous oxide from integrated fixed-film activated sludge membrane bioreactor: Assessing the influence of operational
Giorgio Mannina1, Marco Capodici1, Alida Cosenza1
1Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Ambientale, Aerospaziale, dei Materiali, Università di Palermo, Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 8, 90100 Palermo, Italy.
Abstract:
The influence of the main operational variables on N2O emissions from an Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge University of Cape Town membrane Bioreactor pilot plant was studied. Nine operational cycles (total duration: 340days) were investigated by varying the value of the mixed liquor sludge retention time (SRT) (Cycles 1-3), the feeding ratio between carbon and nitrogen (C/N) (Cycles 4-6) and simultaneously the hydraulic retention time (HRT) and the SRT (Cycles 7-9). Results show a huge variability of the N2O concentration in liquid and off-gas samples (ranged from 10-1μgN2O-NL-1 to 103μgN2O-NL-1). The maximum N2O concentration (1228μgN2O-NL-1) in the off-gas samples occurred in the anoxic reactor at the lowest C/N value confirming that unbalanced C/N promotes the N2O emission during denitrification. The aerated reactors (aerobic and MBR) have been the major N2O emitters during all the three Phases.
