Removal of nitrogen from municipal wastewater by denitrification using a sulfur-based carrier: A pilot-scale study
Yun Chul Woo1, Jeong Jun Lee2, Han-Seung Kim3
1Department of Environment Research, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT), 283, Goyang-Daero, Ilsanseo-Gu, Goyang-Si, Gyeonggi-Do, 10223, Republic of Korea; Department of Civil and Environment Engineering, University of Science and Technology (UST), 217 Gajeong-Ro, Yuseong-Gu, Daejeon, 34113, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
In the present study, to improve nitrate removal rate, a sulfur-based carrier was applied for autotrophic denitrification, and the removal rate was evaluated for advanced wastewater treatment without adding any external organic carbon source. Based on the results, an increased PAC concentration affected the removal efficiency of NO3--N, and the optimal concentration of PAC was at 15 wt%. During the 60 d operation of a pilot process with a capacity of 1 m3/d, the removal of T-N was 81.2% and 50.2% in reactors with and without sulfur-based carrier, respectively. The removal efficiency of NO3--N exhibited a similar trend to that of T-N. According to the results, the removal of T-N and NO3--N was noticeably enhanced to approximately 30% by adding a sulfur-based carrier to the A2O pilot system. In addition, microbial community in both reactors was dominated by Thiobacillus, which is an autotrophic microorganism, displaying a dominant denitrification status. The present study compared the relative efficiencies of nitrate removal in A2O pilot reactors with and without sulfur-based carriers for its successful application in real-scale autotrophic denitrification.
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