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Updated: May 10, 2026

Continuously-stirred Anaerobic Digester to Convert Organic Wastes into Biogas: System Setup and Basic Operation
Published on: July 13, 2012
Insight into microbial adaptability in continuous flow anaerobic ammonium oxidation process for low-strength sewage
Yulei Chi1, Wuang Ren1, Pengkang Jin2
1School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Xi'an University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province 710054, China.
Abstract:
Organic matter concentration is a critical factor influencing the adaptability of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) bacteria to low-strength sewage treatment. To address this challenge and achieve stable anammox activity, a micro-aeration partial nitrification-anammox process was developed for continuous-flow municipal sewage treatment. Under limited ammonium conditions, the effective utilization of organics in denitrification promoted the stable accumulation of nitrite and enhanced anammox activity. This, in turn, led to enhanced nitrogen removal efficiency, reaching approximately 87.7%. During the start-up phase, the protein content of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) increased. This enhanced EPS intensified the inhibitory effect of denitrifying bacteria (DNB) on nitrite-oxidizing bacteria through competition for nitrite, thereby facilitating the proliferation of anammox bacteria (AnAOB). Additionally, several types of DNB capable of utilizing slowly biodegradable organics contributed to the adaptability of AnAOB. These findings provide valuable insights for ensuring efficient anammox performance and robust nitrogen removal in the treatment of low-strength sewage.
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