Coupled BAS and anoxic USB system to remove urea and formaldehyde from wastewater

Wastewater containing formaldehyde and urea was treated using a coupled system consisting of a biofilm airlift suspension (BAS) reactor and an anoxic upflow sludge blanket (USB) reactor. The anoxic USB reactor was used to carry out denitrification and urea hydrolysis, while the BAS reactor was used to carry out nitrification. In a first step, individual experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of both compounds on the nitrifying and denitrifying biomass. The BAS reactor was fed with a synthetic medium containing 500 mg N-NH4(+)l(-1) and 100mg N-urea l(-1), that were added continuously to this medium. Neither urea hydrolysis nor inhibition of nitrification was observed. Nitrification efficiency decreased when formaldehyde was fed during shocks at concentrations of 40, 80 and 120 mg C-formaldehyde l(-1). The anoxic USB reactor was fed with a synthetic medium containing nitrate, formaldehyde and urea. Concentrations of formaldehyde in the reactor of 100-120 mg C-formaldehyde l(-1) caused a decrease in the denitrification and urea hydrolysis rates. In a second step, the coupled system was operated at recycling ratios (R) of 3 and 9. Fed C/N ratios of 0.58, 1.0 and 1.5 g C-formaldehyde g(-1) N-NH4(+) were used for every recycling ratio. The maximum nitrogen removal percentages were achieved at a C/N ratio of 1.0 g C-formaldehyde g(-1) N-NH4(+) for both recycling ratios. A fed C/N ratio of 1.5 g C-formaldehyde g(-1) N-NH4(+) caused a decrease in the efficiency of the system with respect to nitrogen removal, due to the presence of formaldehyde in the BAS reactor, which decreased the nitrification. Formaldehyde was completely removed in the BAS reactor and a heterotrophic layer formed around the nitrifying biofilm.     

A quantitative measure of nitrifying bacterial growth

Nitrifying bacteria convert ammonia (NH3) to nitrate (NO3-) in a nitrification reaction. Methods to quantitatively separate the growth rate of these important bacterial populations from that of the dominant heterotrophic bacteria are important to our understanding of the nitrification process. The changing concentration of ammonia is often used as an indirect measure of nitrification but ammonification processes generate ammonia and confound this approach while heterotrophs remove nitrate via denitrification. Molecular probe methods can tell us what proportion of the microbial community is nitrifying bacteria but not their growth rate. The technique proposed here was able to quantify the growth rate of the nitrifying bacterial populations amidst complex ecological processes. The method incubates [methyl-3H] thymidine with water samples in the presence and absence of an inhibitor of nitrification-thiourea. The radioactively labeled DNA in the growing bacteria was extracted. The rate of incorporation of the label into the dividing bacterial DNA was used to determine bacterial growth rate. Total bacterial community growth rates in full-scale and pilot-scale fixed-film nitrifying reactors and an activated sludge reactor were 2.1 x 10(8), 4.1 x 10(8) and 0.4 x 10(8)cell ml(-1)d(-1), respectively; the growth rate of autotrophic-nitrifying bacteria was 0.7 x 10(8), 2.6 x 10(8) and 0.01 x 10(8)cell ml(-1)d(-1), respectively. Autotrophic-nitrifying bacteria contributed 30% and 60% of the total bacterial community growth rate in the nitrifying reactors whereas only 2% was observed in the activated sludge reactor that was not designed to nitrify. The rates of ammonia loss from the nitrifying reactors corresponded to the rate of growth of the nitrifying bacteria. This method has the potential to more often identify factors that enhance or limit nitrifying processes in both engineered and natural aquatic environments.     

Nitrification of high strength ammonia wastewaters: comparative study of immobilisation media

Due to legislative pressures, sludge production and processing in the UK will increase substantially in the future resulting in a supernatant liquid high in ammonia (500-1000 mg l-1) and "hard" COD (approximately 500 mg l-1). A small footprint reactor is required to effectively nitrify this effluent, and the aim of this work was to compare a number of immobilisation media under a variety of conditions in order to determine which media held the most promise for future development. Laboratory-scale continuously stirred tank reactors containing freely suspended and immobilised biomass were operated with a high-strength synthetic ammonia wastewater (500 mg N l-1) to determine the nitrification rates at various temperatures, and ammonia and COD loadings. COD:NH3 ratios in sludge liquors vary widely depending on the treatment processes employed, and therefore ratios of 1:1 and 2:1 were tested as being fairly typical. The freely suspended nitrifiers were washed out of the reactors at a 1 d hydraulic retention time (HRT), whereas the reactors containing adsorption particles (Linpor and Kaldnes) and PVA-encapsulated nitrifiers continued partially nitrifying down to 12 h, and oxygen addition enhanced nitrification. A decrease in temperature from 25 to 16 degrees C only caused a small (10%) decrease in nitrification in the immobilised cell reactors, demonstrating that nitrification was mass transfer rather than kinetically controlled. A reduction in nitrification occurred when glucose (500 mg l-1) was added to the feed due to the growth of a heterotrophic population. The adsorbed biomass reactors lost 35% of nitrification compared to only 7% with PVA, and it appears that the colonisation of PVA by heterotrophs is more difficult than for Linpor and Kaldnes. Respiration rates for all particles increased with time in the reactors, and nitrifiers immobilised in PVA retained approximately 40% of their viability after immobilisation. Volumetric nitrification rates were generally higher for the PVA reactor than for Linpor and Kaldnes, and were: suspended biomass reactor: 0.36; Linpor: 0.57; Kaldnes: 0.53 and PVA: 0.70 kg N m-3-reactor d-1 for a 25% reactor fill. These equate to 2.28, 4.24 and 3.97 g N m-2-media d-1 for Linpor, Kaldnes and PVA respectively, hence other reactor fill rates for Kaldnes warrant further investigation. However, the PVA particles with the highest nitrification rates under all conditions showed promise as an immobilisation medium, and are amenable to further optimisation for the nitrification of high-strength ammonia wastewaters.     

Completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite in one single reactor

The microbiology and the feasibility of a new, single-stage, reactor for completely autotrophic ammonia removal were investigated. The reactor was started anoxically after inoculation with biomass from a reactor performing anaerobic ammonia oxidation (Anammox). Subsequently, oxygen was supplied to the reactor and a nitrifying population developed. Oxygen was kept as the limiting factor. The development of a nitrifying population was monitored by Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization and off-line activity measurements. These methods also showed that during steady state, anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria remained present and active. In the reactor, no aerobic nitrite-oxidizers were detected. The denitrifying potential of the biomass was below the detection limit. Ammonia was mainly converted to N2 (85%) and the remainder (15%) was recovered as NO3-. N2O production was negligible (less than 0.1%). Addition of an external carbon source was not needed to realize the autotrophic denitrification to N2.     

Aerobic granulation in a sequencing batch airlift reactor

Aerobic granular sludge was cultivated in an intensely mixed sequencing batch airlift reactor (SBAR). A COD loading of 2.5 kg Acetate-COD/(m3 d) was applied. Granules developed in the reactor within one week after inoculation with suspended activated sludge from a conventional wastewater treatment plant. Selection of the dense granules from the biomass mixture occurs because of the differences in settling velocities between granules (fast settling biomass), and filaments and flocs (slow settling biomass). At 'steady state' the granules had an average diameter of 2.5 mm, a biomass density of 60g VSS/I of granules, and a settling rate of > 10 m/h. The biomass consisted of both heterotrophic and nitrifying bacteria. The reactor was operated over a long period during which the granular sludge proved to remain stable. The performance of the intermittently fed SBAR was compared to that of the continuously fed biofilm airlift suspension reactor (BASR). The most importance difference was that the density of the granules in the SBAR was much higher than the density of the biofilms in the BASR. It is discussed that this could be due to the fact that the SBAR is intermittently fed, while the BASR is continuously fed.     

The influence of reactor mixing characteristics on the rate of nitrification in the activated sludge process

The effect of longitudinal mixing on nitrification was evaluated in two bench scale activated sludge reactors of equal volume, one approximating complete mixing (∂ = 0.62) and one approximating plug-flow mixing (∂ = 0.07). The onset of nitrification was more rapid under plug-flow conditions and a higher rate constant for nitrification was observed. Both the numbers and species of nitrifying bacteria were the same in both reactors and thus this did not contribute to the observed differences. Lower reaction rates in the complete mix reactor were shown to result from a high concentration of free ammonia in the mixed liquor, which gave rise to inhibition of nitrifying bacteria. Over an extended operating period, the plug flow reactor produced a sludge which demonstrated superior settling properties to that of the complete mix reactor. In addition incidences of sludge bulking were absent, whereas they were a regular feature of the complete mix system.     

The effect of operating conditions on aquatic worms eating waste sludge

Several techniques are available for dealing with the waste sludge produced in biological waste water treatment. A biological approach uses aquatic worms to consume and partially digest the waste sludge. In our concept for a worm reactor, the worms (Lumbriculus variegatus) are immobilised in a carrier material. For correct sizing and operation of such a worm reactor, the effect of changes in dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration, ammonia concentration, temperature and light exposure were studied in sequencing batch experiments. DO concentration had an effect on both sludge consumption rate and sludge reduction efficiency. Sludge consumption rate was four times higher at DO concentrations above 8.1 mg/L, when compared to DO concentrations below 2.5 mg/L. Sludge reduction was 36 and 77% at these respective DO concentrations. The effect is most likely the result of a difference in gut residence time. An increase in unionised ammonia concentration drastically decreased the consumption rate. Ammonia is released by the worms at a rate of 0.02 mg N/mg TSS digested; therefore, replacing the effluent in the worm reactor is required to maintain a low ammonia concentration. The highest sludge consumption rates were measured at a temperature around 15 °C, whilst the highest TSS reduction was achieved at 10 °C. Not exposing the worms to light did not affect consumption or digestion rates. High temperatures (above 25 °C) as well as low DO concentrations (below 1 mg/L) in the worm reactor should be avoided as these lead to significant decreases in the number of worms. The main challenges for applying the worm reactor at a larger scale are the supply of oxygen to the worms and maintaining a low ammonia concentration in the worm reactor. Applying a worm reactor at a waste water treatment plant was estimated to increase the oxygen consumption and the ammonia load by 15-20% and 5% respectively.     

Bio-augmentation by nitrification with return sludge

Bio-augmentation can be used to obtain nitrification in activated sludge processes that operate at sub-optimal solid retention times. In this study, we evaluated the potential of augmenting the endogenous nitrifying bacteria, by implementing a nitrification reactor in the sludge return line. This reactor can be fed with an internal N-rich flow (e.g. effluent from the sludge treatment) or with an external ammonium source. A mathematical model based on ASM1 was developed and used to evaluate the potential of this technique. The bio-augmentation studied here aimed to enhance the nitrification process of highly loaded activated sludge systems. A calibrated simulation model of a high loaded wastewater treatment plant in The Netherlands was used for this study. A side stream process (the named BABE process) was included in the simulation. This process was fed with the ammonia-rich water generated by sludge digestion and subsequent thickening by centrifugation (the so-called rejectwater). An external source (artificial) of ammonium was also considered to evaluate the differences between the two origins of ammonium. The results showed that with the augmentation process, high loaded activated sludge systems can achieve nitrification even at low winter temperatures. The best effect is obtained for systems operating at approximately 50% of the minimal SRT without augmentation. The use of an internal ammonia source is more effective than an external source. The results of this study give a quantitative basis for the design of process internal bio-augmentation processes and the effect on the N-removal capacity of the treatment plant.     

Suspended biofilm carrier and activated sludge removal of acidic pharmaceuticals

Removal of seven active pharmaceutical substances (ibuprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, diclofenac, clofibric acid, mefenamic acid, and gemfibrozil) was assessed by batch experiments, with suspended biofilm carriers and activated sludge from several full-scale wastewater treatment plants. A distinct difference between nitrifying activated sludge and suspended biofilm carrier removal of several pharmaceuticals was demonstrated. Biofilm carriers from full-scale nitrifying wastewater treatment plants, demonstrated considerably higher removal rates per unit biomass (i.e. suspended solids for the sludges and attached solids for the carriers) of diclofenac, ketoprofen, gemfibrozil, clofibric acid and mefenamic acid compared to the sludges. Among the target pharmaceuticals, only ibuprofen and naproxen showed similar removal rates per unit biomass for the sludges and biofilm carriers. In contrast to the pharmaceutical removal, the nitrification capacity per unit biomass was lower for the carriers than the sludges, which suggests that neither the nitrite nor the ammonia oxidizing bacteria are primarily responsible for the observed differences in pharmaceutical removal. The low ability of ammonia oxidizing bacteria to degrade or transform the target pharmaceuticals was further demonstrated by the limited pharmaceutical removal in an experiment with continuous nitritation and biofilm carriers from a partial nitritation/anammox sludge liquor treatment process.     

The effect of CO2 concentration on a nitrifying chalk reactor

The effect of CO2 concentration on nitrification rate was studied in a fluidized bed reactor using chalk (solid calcium carbonate) as the biomass carrier and buffering agent. Using one chalk type and uniform particle size, carbon dioxide was found to limit the nitrification rate in the reactor at concentrations up to 0.3 mmol l(-1). At this concentration the nitrification rate was about 2.5-2.7g NH4+-Nl reactor(-1) d(-1). The pH established in the reactor varied between 4.5 and 5.5, remarkably with lower pH obtained remarked at higher nitrification rates. Kinetic parameters for nitrification rate with CO2 as the rate limiting substrate were determined: a Michaelis-Menten constant, Km, of 0.013 mmol l(-1) CO2 and a maximum ammonium oxidation rate of 2.33g NH4+-Nl reactor(-1) d(-1).     

Simultaneous removal of phenol and ammonia by an activated sludge process with cross-flow filtration

Attempts were made for removing ammonia from synthetic wastewater under the presence of phenol, which is inhibitory to nitrification, by using a single-stage activated sludge process with cross-flow filtration. Activated sludge biomass which had been acclimated with phenol for over 15 years was used for the inoculum, and synthetic wastewater was continuously supplied to the process retaining biomass at 8000 mg VSS l(-1). Phenol was completely removed, and ammonia was simultaneously nitrified to nitrate; nitrification rate reached 200 mg N l(-1) d(-1) when phenol was removed at a rate up to 300 mg l(-1) d(-1). It was observed that 0-13% of the ammonia was removed via denitrification. Intermittent aeration enhanced the denitrification rate to 160 mg N l(-1) d(-1) by utilizing phenol. and approximately 24% of the denitrified nitrogen was recovered as nitrous oxide. Methanol, which is the most commonly used electron donor in conventional nitrogen removal processes, did not enhance the denitrification rate of the phenol-acclimated activated sludge used in this study, however phenol did. The results suggest that this process potentially works as a space- and energy-saving nitrogen removal process by utilizing substances inhibitory to nitrifiers as electron donors for denitrification.     

Effects of carbon source on denitrification efficiency and microbial community structure in a saline wastewater treatment process

Two different denitrifying reactors were monitored in order to evaluate the effects of carbon source on denitrification efficiency and microbial community structure under various saline conditions. Nitrogen removal performances were determined when salinity concentrations increase gradually in acetate- or methanol-fed denitrifying reactor. As a result, acetate-fed process attained high nitrate removal at 0-10% NaCl, while methanol was proven beneficial electron donors at 0-3% NaCl. A parallel analysis of T-RFLP and cloning in the acetate-fed sludge showed that a specialized microbial population (i.e. the genera Halomonas and Marinobacter) adapted to a high saline environment. Meanwhile, there were no major changes of bacterial populations in the methanol-fed reactor at 4% NaCl, although the relative abundances of the genera Azoarcus and Methylophaga increased when salinity concentration was at 1-3% NaCl, indicating that methanol-utilizing populations in activated sludge was unable to adapt to a high saline environments (>4% NaCl).     

Nitrification and denitrification as a source for NO and NO2 production in high-strength wastewater

Laboratory and half-technical scale experiments were performed to evaluate nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) production during biological N-elimination from wastewater with high ammonium concentration (about 700 mg N L-1). In a laboratory scale bioreactor with biomass retention, the ammonia oxidizer Nitrosomonas europaea and the denitrifier Paracoccus denitrificans were grown as reference organisms in co-culture in order to simulate the nitrifying and denitrifying community of wastewater treatment plants. Synthetic wastewater and sludge liquor from the municipal wastewater treatment plant in Lueneburg (Germany) were used. In the laboratory scale reactor, during the treatment of synthetic wastewater, 0.28% of the oxidized ammonium-N was released as NO-N by a pure culture of Nitrosomonas. A simultaneously nitrifying and denitrifying co-culture only released 0.04 to 0.2%. NO2 formation was not observed. NO production was much higher in sludge liquor. A pure culture of Nitrosomonas produced 0.52% NO + NO2-N (= NOx-N), a co-culture of Nitrosomonas and Paracoccus even 1.64% NOx-N. The production rate strongly depended on the media and the organisms used. In a co-culture of N. europaea and P denitrificans, Nitrosomonas was shown to be the most efficient NO producer. NO production increased with ammonium oxidation rate and with nitrite concentration of the medium. In synthetic wastewater, NO production was not influenced by reduced oxygen content. However, in sludge liquor NO production rate increased with decreasing O2 concentration. Here, for the first time, the formation of significant amounts of NO2 during simultaneous nitrification/denitrification could be demonstrated. In half-technical scale experiments, only 0.07% of the oxidized ammonium-N was released as NO-N from the nitrification stage. NO2 was not detectable. Release of nitric oxide from the denitrification stage was mainly diffusion limited and the amount produced did not exceed 0.0001%. A calculation on the basis of the results presented, revealed that biological treatment of nitrogen-rich wastewater is not a significant source for pollution of the atmosphere with NOx in industrial areas.     

Simultaneous nitrification and p-cresol oxidation in a nitrifying sequencing batch reactor

The tolerance, kinetic behavior and oxidizing ability of a nitrifying sludge exposed to different initial concentrations of p-cresol (25-150mg/l) were evaluated in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) fed with 200mg NH(4)(+)-N/ld. The nitrifying SBR operated up to 300mg/ld of p-cresol, achieving simultaneously the complete ammonium oxidation to nitrate and the total consumption of p-cresol and its transitory intermediates from the culture. p-Cresol induced a significant decrease in the values for specific rates of ammonium consumption, showing that the ammonium oxidation pathway was mainly inhibited. After 7 months of operation in SBR, the specific rates of NH(4)(+)-N oxidation, NO(3)(-)-N formation, and total organic carbon consumption were 0.6g NH(4)(+)-N/g microbial protein-Nh, 0.3g NO(3)(-)-N/g microbial protein-Nh, and 0.24g total organic carbon/g microbial protein h, respectively. The microbial growth rate was always low (maximum value of 12.2+/-0.4mg protein-N/ld) and settleability of the sludge was good with sludge volume index values lower than 21ml/g. The oxidation of p-cresol and its intermediates was carried out faster throughout the cycles and nitrification inhibition decreased with the number of cycles.     

Phenol biodegradation and its effect on the nitrification process

Phenol biodegradation under aerobic conditions and its effect on the nitrification process were studied, first in batch assays and then in an activated sludge reactor. In batch assays, phenol was completely biodegraded at concentrations ranging from 100 to 2500 mg l(-1). Phenol was inhibitory to the nitrification process, showing more inhibition at higher initial phenol concentrations. At initial phenol concentrations above 1000 mg l(-1), the level of nitrification decreased. In the activated sludge reactor, the applied ammonium loading rate was maintained at 140 mg N-NH(4)(+)l(-1)d(-1) (350 mg N-NH(4)(+)l(-1)) during the operation time. However, the applied organic loading rate was increased stepwise from 30 to 2700 mg COD l(-1)d(-1) by increasing the phenol concentration from 35 up to 2800 mg l(-1). High phenol removal efficiencies, above 99.9%, were maintained at all the applied organic loading rates. Ammonium removal was also very high during the operation period, around 99.8%, indicating that there was no inhibition of nitrification by phenol.     

Performance of UASB reactor treating leachate from acidogenic fermenter in the two-phase anaerobic digestion of food waste

This study was conducted to investigate the performance of the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor treating leachate from acidogenic fermenter in the two-phase anaerobic digestion of food waste. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency was consistently over 96% up to the loading rates of 15.8 g COD/l d. The methane production rate increased to 5.51/l d. Of all the COD removed, 92% was converted to methane and the remaining presumably to biomass. At loading rates over 18.7 g COD/l d, the COD removal efficiency decreased due to sludge flotation and washout in the reactor, which resulted from short HRT of less than 10.6 h. The residual propionate concentration was the highest among the volatile fatty acids (VFA) in the effluent. The specific methanogenic activity (SMA) analysis showed that the VFA-degrading activity of granule was the highest for butyrate, and the lowest for propionate. Typical granules were found to be mainly composed of microcolonies of Methanosaeta. The size distribution of sludge particles indicated that partially granulated sludge could maintain the original structure of granular sludge and continue to gain size in the UASB reactor treating leachate from acidogenic fermenter.     

Ozonation reduces sludge production and improves denitrification

The effectiveness of partial ozonation of return activated sludge for enhancing denitrification and waste sludge minimization were examined. A pair of nitrifying sequencing batch reactors was operated in either aerobic or alternating anoxic/aerobic conditions, with one control and one ozonated reactor in each set. The amount of solids produced decreased with the ozone dose. Biomass in the anoxic/aerobic reactor was easier to destroy (up to 25% of the initial excess sludge) than in the aerobic (10%) one, generating approximately twice as much soluble COD by cell lysis. Denitrification rate improved up to 60% due to additional carbon released by ozonation. Nitrification rates deteriorated much more in the aerobic than in the alternating reactor, possibly as a result of direct destruction of nitrifying autotrophs as well as competition created by growth of heterotrophs receiving the additional COD. Overall, ozonation provided the expected benefits in denitrification and had less impact on nitrification in the alternating reactors.     

Biomass growth and activity in a membrane bioreactor with complete sludge retention

This work reports the main results of a bench scale membrane bioreactor operated for more than 100 days without sludge withdrawal and fed on real municipal wastewater. The experiments were oriented towards three main objectives. Firstly, the performance of the system was evaluated under two different volumetric loading rates (0.8 and 1.7 g CODL(react.)(-1)d(-1)). Secondly, biomass growth and accumulation of solids were assessed and a relationship between sludge concentration and volumetric loading rates was proposed. Thirdly, biomass activity was evaluated through respirometric tests, and endogenous and maximum respiration rates of heterotrophic and nitrifying bacteria were determined. The experimental campaign showed that these systems are easy to manage and very rapid to start-up. The SS concentrations under equilibrium conditions for both experimental periods were slightly lower than 10 times the volumetric loading rates, and the organic loading rates reached the same equilibrium value of 0.12 g CODgTSS(-1)d(-1). Furthermore, under equilibrium conditions the system showed very limited sludge production (0.12 g VSSgCOD(rem)(-1)) and low biomass activity, although it readily responded to load variations. Further work is being carried out to evaluate the performance over the long term.     

Formaldehyde and urea removal in a denitrifying granular sludge blanket reactor

Simultaneous formaldehyde biodegradation, urea hydrolysis and denitrification in anoxic batch assays and in a continuous laboratory anoxic reactor were investigated. In batch assays, the initial formaldehyde biodegradation rate was around 0.7 g CH(2)Og VSS(-1)d(-1) and independent of the urea concentration (90- 370 mg N-NH(2)CONH(2)l(-1)). Urea was completely hydrolyzed to ammonium in the presence of 430 mg l(-1) formaldehyde and complete denitrification took place in all cases (125 mg N-NO(-)(3)l(-1)). Formaldehyde removal efficiencies above 99.5% were obtained in a lab-scale denitrifying upflow sludge blanket reactor at organic loading rates between 0.37 and 2.96 kg CODm(-3)d(-1) (625-5000 mg CH(2)Ol(-1)). The urea loading rate was increased from 0.06 to 0.44 kg Nm(-3)d(-1) (100-800 mg N-NH(2)CONH(2)l(-1)) and hydrolysis to ammonium was around 77.5% at all loading rates. The denitrification process was always almost complete (100-800 mg N-NO(3)(-)l(-1)), due to the high COD/N ratio of 6.7 in the influent. A minimum value of 3.5 was found to be required for full denitrification. The composition of the biogas indicated that denitrification and methanogenesis occurred simultaneously in the same unit. A good granulation of the sludge was observed.     

Nitrification with high nitrite accumulation for the treatment of wastewater with high ammonia concentration

The objective of this paper was to determine the best conditions for partial nitrification with nitrite accumulation of simulated industrial wastewater with high ammonia concentration, lowering the total oxygen needed in the nitrification step, which may mean great saving in aeration. Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and pH were selected as operational parameters to study the possibility of nitrite accumulation not affecting overall ammonia removal. A 2.5L activated sludge reactor was operated in nitrification mode, feeding a synthetic wastewater simulating an industrial wastewater with high ammonia concentration. During the start-up a pH of 7.85 and a DO of 5.5mg/L were used. The reactor was operated until stable operation was achieved at final nitrogen loading rate (NLR) of 3.3kgN- NH(4)(+)/m(3)d with an influent ammonia concentration of 610mg N-NH(4)(+)/L.The influence of pH was studied in continuous operation in the range of 6.15-9.05, changing the reactor pH in steps until ammonia accumulation (complete nitrification inhibition) took place. The influence of DO was studied in the same mode, changing the DO in steps from 5.5 to 0.5mg/L.The pH was not a useful operational parameter in order to accumulate nitrite, because in the range of pH 6.45-8.95 complete nitrification to nitrate occurs. At pH lower than 6.45 and higher than 8.95 complete inhibition of nitrification takes place. Setting DO concentration in the reactor at 0.7mg/L, it was possible to accumulate more than 65% of the loaded ammonia nitrogen as nitrite with a 98% ammonia conversion. Below 0.5mg/L of DO ammonia was accumulated and over a DO of 1.7mg/L complete nitrification to nitrate was achieved.In conclusion, it is possible under the conditions of this study, to treat high ammonia synthetic wastewater achieving an accumulation of at least 65% of the loaded nitrogen as nitrite, operating at a DO around 0.7mg/L. This represents a reduction close to 20% in the oxygen necessary, and therefore a considerable saving in aeration.