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Efficient nitrogen removal from onsite wastewater by a novel continuous flow biofilter.
Siwei Chen1, Mian Wang1, Frank M Russo2
1Department of Civil Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA; New York State Center for Clean Water Technology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
Chemosphere
|April 19, 2022
Summary
A novel continuous flow biofilter (CFB) efficiently removes total nitrogen from onsite wastewater, offering a compact solution. This system demonstrates high removal rates despite varying loads, making it suitable for diverse conditions.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Wastewater Treatment Technologies
- Microbial Ecology
Background:
- Conventional soil-based passive biofiltration systems for onsite wastewater treatment are effective but require large footprints.
- Limited treatment capacity of traditional systems necessitates development of more efficient and compact alternatives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a novel continuous flow biofilter (CFB) with adjustable recirculation for efficient nitrogen removal from onsite wastewater.
- To assess the performance of the CFB under various hydraulic and nitrogen loading conditions.
- To investigate the microbial community structure and functional gene abundance within the CFB.
Main Methods:
- Development of a continuous flow biofilter (CFB) with adjustable recirculation.
- Operation of the CFB with septic tank effluent (STE) under controlled hydraulic and nitrogen loadings.
- Analysis of total nitrogen removal efficiency, effluent quality, and removal rates.
- Microbial community analysis, including total biomass, nitrifying microorganisms, ammonium oxidizing archaea (AOA), ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB), and denitrification functional genes (nirS, nirK, nosZ).
Main Results:
- The CFB achieved high total nitrogen removal efficiencies (80.1-97.5%) with low effluent total nitrogen concentrations (0.7-13.6 mg N L⁻¹).
- Nitrogen and ammonium removal rates correlated positively with increased nitrogen loadings but were not significantly affected by hydraulic loading rate.
- Microbial analysis revealed decreased nitrifying microorganisms with depth, homogeneous distribution in denitrification zones, and increased AOA abundance with higher loading rates.
Conclusions:
- The developed CFB is a promising technology for efficient nitrogen removal from onsite wastewater, offering a small footprint and effective treatment under fluctuating conditions.
- Understanding microbial dynamics and gene abundance is crucial for optimizing CFB performance.
- Further research is needed to address incomplete denitrification observed at elevated dissolved oxygen levels.
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