Formaldehyde biodegradation in the presence of methanol under denitrifying conditions

Simultaneous formaldehyde and methanol biodegradation and also denitrification were studied in batch assays and in a continuous laboratory‐scale reactor. In batch assays, high formaldehyde concentrations (up to 1360 mg dm^?3) were removed under anoxic conditions in the presence of methanol. It was found that formaldehyde biodegradation produced methanol and formic acid as products. The denitrification process was affected by the initial formaldehyde concentration. In the continuous reactor, the biodegradation of different concentrations of formaldehyde (1500–275 mg dm^?3) and methanol (153–871 mg dm^?3) took place, maintaining the organic loading rate at 0.84 g COD dm^?3 d^?1 (COD/N 4). However, each increase in the methanol concentration in the influent caused a decrease in the denitrification level. An adaptation period to methanol was necessary before the denitrification percentage could be recovered. In contrast with batch assays, in the continuous reactor methanol and formic acid were not detected in the effluent. Moreover, in the continuous reactor the denitrification percentages were higher and the nitrite accumulation was lower. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Determination of potential methane production capacity of a granular sludge from a pilot‐scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor using a specific methanogenic activity test

A 450 dm³ pilot‐scale upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor was used for the treatment of a fermentation‐based pharmaceutical wastewater. The UASB reactor performed well up to an organic loading rate (OLR) of 10.7 kg COD m^?3 d^?1 at which point 94% COD removal efficiency was achieved. This high treatment efficiency did not continue, however and the UASB reactor was then operated at lower OLRs for the remainder of the study. Specific methanogenic activity (SMA) tests were, therefore, carried out to determine the potential loading capacity of the UASB reactor. For this purpose, the SMA tests were carried out at four different initial acetate concentrations, namely 500 mg dm^?3, 1000 mg dm^?3, 1500 mg dm^?3 and 2000 mg dm^?3 so that substrate limitation could not occur. The results showed that the sludge sample taken from the UASB reactor (OLR of 6.1 kg COD m^?3 d^?1) had a potential acetoclastic methane production (PMP) rate of 72 cm³ CH₄ g^?1 VSS d^?1. When the PMP rate was compared with the actual methane production rate (AMP) of 67 cm³ CH₄ g^?1 VSS d^?1 obtained from the UASB reactor, the AMP/PMP ratio was found to be 0.94 which ensured that the UASB reactor was operated using its maximum potential acetoclastic methanogenic capacity. In order to achieve higher OLRs with desired COD removal efficiencies it was recommended that the UASB reactor should be loaded with suitable OLRs pre‐determined by SMA tests. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Anaerobic biodegradation of phenol in sulfide‐rich media

In the refinery industry, the washing processes of middle‐distillates using caustic solutions generate phenol‐ and sulfide‐containing waste streams. The spent caustic liquors generated contain phenols at concentrations higher than 60 g dm^?3(638.3 mmol dm^?3). For sulfur compounds, the average sulfide concentration was 48 g dm^?3(1500 mmol dm^?3) in these streams. The goal of this study was to evaluate the specific impact of phenol and sulfide concentrations towards the phenol‐biodegradation activity of a phenol‐acclimated anaerobic granular sludge. An inhibition model was used to calculate the phenol and sulfide inhibitory concentrations that completely stopped the phenol‐biodegradation activity (IC100). A maximum phenol‐biodegradation activity of 83 µmol g^?1 VSS h^?1 was assessed and the IC100 values were 21.8 mmol dm^?3 and 13.4 mmol dm^?3 for phenol and sulfide respectively. The limitation of the phenol biodegradation flow by phenol inhibition seemed to be related to the more important sensitivity of phenol‐degrading bacteria. The up‐flow anaerobic sludge bed reactor operating in a non‐phenol‐dependent inhibition condition did not present any sensitivity to sulfide concentrations below 9.6 mmol dm^?3. At this residual concentration, the pH and bisulfide ions' concentration might be responsible for the general collapsing of the reactor activity. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

γ-Induced single-step synthesis of ethylene glycol from methanol-formaldehyde solutions

A mechanism is developed for the initiated nonbranched-chain formation of ethylene glycol in methanol-formaldehyde solutions at formaldehyde concentrations of 0.1–3.1 mol dm^?3 and temperatures of 373–473 K. At a formaldehyde concentration of 1.4 mol dm^?3 and T = 473 K, the radiation-chemical yield of ethylene glycol is 139 molecules per 100 eV. The effective activation energy of ethylene glycol formation is 25 ± 3 kJ mol^?1. The quasi-steady-state treatment of the reaction network suggested here led to a rate equation accounting for the nonmonotonic dependence of the ethylene glycol formation rate on the concentration of the free (unsolvated) form of dissolved formaldehyde. It is demonstrated that the peak in this dependence is due to the competition between methanol and CH₂=O for reacting with the adduct radical HOCH₂CH₂O^?.     

Analysis of the Activated Sludge Process in an MBR under Starvation Conditions

An aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) at complete biomass retention was studied over a period of time under starvation conditions. Kinetic parameters were determined in a no‐feed batch test. The decay rate of activated sludge, k_d = 0.05 d^–1, was determined by tracking the decrease of MLSS. The ratio of MLVSS/MLSS was in the range 0.76–0.85. The pH values were between 7.02 and 8.23. As a function of different initial concentrations of MLSS, specific nitrification rates q_N, decreased from 4.23 to 0.02 mg‐N/(g MLVSS d) and specific biodegradation rates q_b increased from 0.23 to 1.90 mg‐COD/(g MLVSS d). From experimental data the kinetic constants for respiration, which followed Monod kinetics, were determined as q_O2max = 9.8 mg‐O₂/(g MLVSS h), K_x = 2.9 g/dm³. Additionally, a linear correlation between MLSS and mean floc size was found to exist during the biodegradation process.     

Improvement of the settling properties of Anammox sludge in an SBR

Biological systems for the treatment of wastewater have to provide optimum sludge retention to achieve high removal efficiencies. In the case of slow‐growing micro‐organisms, such as anaerobic ammonia‐oxidizing (Anammox) bacteria, episodes of flotation involving biomass wash‐out are especially critical. In this study a strategy based on the introduction of a mix period in the operational cycle of the Anammox Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) was tested for its effects on biomass retention and nitrite removal. Using this new cycle distribution the biomass retention inside the reactor improved as the solids concentration in the effluent of the SBR decreased from 20–45 to 5–10 mg VSS dm^?3 and the biomass concentration inside the reactor increased from 1.30 to 2.53 g VSS dm^?3 in a period of 25 days. A decrease of the sludge volume index (SVI) from 108 to 60 cm³ g VSS^?1 was also observed. Complete depletion of nitrite was achieved in the reactor only with the new cycle distribution treating nitrogen loading rates (g N‐NO₂^? + g N‐NH₄⁺ dm^?3 d^?1) up to 0.60 g N dm^?3 d^?1. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Development of a membrane‐assisted hybrid bioreactor for ammonia and COD removal in wastewaters

A new membrane‐assisted hybrid bioreactor was developed to remove ammonia and organic matter. This system was composed of a hybrid circulating bed reactor (CBR) coupled in series to an ultrafiltration membrane module for biomass separation. The growth of biomass both in suspension and biofilms was promoted in the hybrid reactor. The system was operated for 103 days, during which a constant ammonia loading rate (ALR) was fed to the system. The COD/N‐NH₄⁺ ratio was manipulated between 0 and 4, in order to study the effects of different organic matter concentrations on the nitrification capacity of the system. Experimental results have shown that it was feasible to operate with a membrane hybrid system attaining 99% chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal and ammonia conversion. The ALR was 0.92 kg N‐NH₄⁺ m^?3 d^?1 and the organic loading rate (OLR) achieved up to 3.6 kg COD m^?3 d^?1. Also, the concentration of ammonia in the effluent was low, 1 mg N‐NH₄⁺ dm^?3. Specific activity determinations have shown that there was a certain degree of segregation of nitrifiers and heterotrophs between the two biomass phases in the system. Growth of the slow‐growing nitrifiers took place preferentially in the biofilm and the fast‐growing heterotrophs grew in suspension. This fact allowed the nitrifying activity in the biofilm be maintained around 0.8 g N g^?1 protein d^?1, regardless of the addition of organic matter in the influent. The specific nitrifying activity of suspended biomass varied between 0.3 and 0.4 g N g^?1 VSS d^?1. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

RDX biodegradation column study: influence of ubiquitous electron acceptors on anaerobic biotransformation of RDX

A series of column studies, with aquifer material from the former Nebraska Ordinance Plant (NOP), were performed to explore the phenomenon of electron competition from ubiquitous inorganic electron acceptors (nitrate and sulfate) present in contaminated groundwater. Acetate was used as a source of readily biodegradable carbon in all of the treatment‐column systems. Influent hexahydro‐1, 3, 5‐trinitro‐1, 3, 5‐triazine (RDX) concentrations (1–1.8 mg dm^?3) were completely removed to below detection levels of 20 µg dm^?3 in all treatment‐column systems without any nitroso‐metabolites. In the control‐column system (with no carbon amendment) significant levels (～30% of the inlet molar RDX) of nitroso‐substituted RDX derivates were observed in the effluent stream. The estimated first‐order biodegradation rate coefficient for RDX was highest (0.79 h^?1) in the treatment‐column system where acetate was the only amendment, about 52 times higher than the rate coefficient (0.015 h^?1) obtained in the control‐column system. The presence of sulfate (100 mg dm^?3) in influent groundwater temporarily delayed the onset of RDX biotransformation without any adverse effects on overall RDX biotransformation. Coexistence of low (100 mg dm^?3) nitrate levels in the influent feed water reduced the first‐order biodegradation rate coefficient obtained in the absence of nitrate by about 80% to 0.16 h^?1. These nitrate levels, however, were low to halt the RDX biodegradation probably because the available carbon levels were high enough to exceed the demands for nitrate reduction. High levels of nitrate (500 mg dm^?3) initially halted RDX removal, and significantly reduced the rate of RDX biotransformation by about 98% to 0.02 h^?1, thereby increasing the half‐life from 0.9 h in the absence of nitrate to about 32 h, with noticeable levels of untreated RDX in the effluent stream. Contrary to the expectations, the presence of ammonium in conjunction with acetate resulted in a lower (0.09 h^?1) biodegradation rate coefficient as compared with the one obtained in the absence of ammonium. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Treatment of settled piggery waste by a down‐flow anaerobic fixed bed reactor

A study of the effect of organic volumetric loading rate (B_V) on the performance of a down‐flow anaerobic fixed bed reactor (DFAFBR) treating settled piggery waste was carried out at a range of between 1.1 and 6.8 g COD dm^?3 d^?1. The reactor operated at good removal efficiencies and stability under the operational conditions studied. Logarithmic empirical equations described adequately the removal efficiency for different parameters studied (COD, SCOD, BOD, TS, VS, TSS, VSS and phosphorous). Although process stability was affected by the increase of B_V, process failure was not observed. A logarithmic relationship was found to describe the influence of B_V on the TVFA/alkalinity ratio (p). A linear correlation was found between the effluent substrate concentration and the values of p and between p and the CO₂/CH₄ ratio in the biogas. The effect of the hydraulic volumetric loading rate (H_V) on the flow pattern of the reactor was evaluated. Dispersion number (D_n) was in the range of 0.17–0.37 for the maximum and minimum values of H_V studied, respectively. The ratio between the real and theoretical HRT increased as the H_V decreased. These results demonstrate that axial dispersion increased as the H_V and the Reynolds number decreased. Due to the hydraulic behaviour of the reactor, the kinetic model developed by Lawrence and McCarty was used for describing the experimental results obtained. Maximum specific substrate removal rate (K), specific organic loading rate constant (K_L), microbial decay coefficient (K_d), microbial yield coefficient (Y), maximum microbial growth rate (U_M) and saturation constant (K_S) were found to be: 3.1 (g COD g VSS^?1 d^?1), 3.0 (g COD g VSS^?1 d^?1), 0.062 (d^?1), 0.15 (g VSS g COD removed^?1), 0.39 (d^?1) and 2.6 (g SCOD dm^?3), respectively. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Protein hydrolysis under anaerobic,saline conditions in presence of acetic acid

The hydrolysis of soluble proteins in an anaerobic, saline (24 g dm^?3 NaCl) and mesophilic (37 °C) environment was studied. The inhibitory effect of a volatile fatty acid, acetic acid (HAc), on the hydrolysis rate and hydrolytic biomass activity for a model saline wastewater with a high protein load (total organic carbon, 1153 mg dm^?3 and 1572 mg dm^?3 proteins) was studied. Initial inhibitor concentrations were tested in the range of 0–2000 mg dm^?3 HAc. The microbiological characterization was performed using a total microorganism count by epifluorescence, and hydrolytic bacterial activity was determined by plate count. The protein hydrolysis was modeled according to first order kinetics. The effect of biomass on hydrolysis was analyzed by varying its concentration in the range of 42–210 mg dm^?3 volatile suspended solids. The following apparent hydrolysis kinetic constants (K_h) for proteins at 37 °C were obtained: 1.3, 0.8, 0.6, 0.2 and 0.1 d^?1 for initial concentrations of 250, 500, 750, 880, and 1000 mg dm^?3 HAc, respectively. At concentrations of HAc greater than 1000 mg dm^?3, total inhibition of hydrolysis was observed. The intrinsic hydrolysis constant ( ) at 37 °C, without inhibition, was 2.3 d^?1. The hydrolysis kinetic constant was not affected by the biomass concentration. The hydrolysis kinetics constant was filted to three models: Luong, Levenspiel and non‐competitive inhibition. The model that best represented the experimental data was Luong, obtaining an inhibition constant (K_I) of 1087 mg dm^?3 of HAc and the exponent γ = 0.54. The hydrolysis was inhibited by the presence of HAc, which corresponds to an intermediate compound of the anaerobic process. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

An alternative for pre‐treatment of high‐strength raw whey wastewaters: submerged membrane bioreactors

The direct treatment of whey wastewater at various sludge ages (10–75 days) and high biomass concentration (above 50 g mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) dm^?3) in a submerged membrane bioreactor (sMBR) is described. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) of raw whey varied in the range of 60 and 90 g dm^?3. After feeding the sMBR with raw whey, effluent COD reduced to about 20 g dm^?3. The effluent was free of suspended solids and total coliform bacteria. Total phosphorus (TP) and orthophosphate (Ortho‐P) in the influent varied between 204 and 880 mg dm^?3 and between 180 and 620 mg dm^?3, and effluent TP and Ortho‐P reduced to 113 and 109 mg dm^?3, respectively. The ammonium and nitrate concentrations in the influent were in the ranges of 3.4 and 120 mg dm^?3 and 10 and 503 mg dm^?3, respectively. The effluent ammonium concentration varied between 17.6 and 198 mg dm^?3 and nitrate concentrations varied between 0.9 and 69 mg dm^?3. Effluent turbidity varied between 23 and 111 FAU (Formazin Attenuation Unit). The results show that sMBR is an effective pre‐treatment system for high‐strength agro‐wastewaters because of its ability to reduce the pollution load. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Intermediate accumulation and efficiency of anaerobic digestion treatment of surfactant (alcohol sulfate)‐rich wastewater at increasing surfactant/biomass ratios

Textile (eg cotton) finishing industry wastewater is characterised by high concentrations of surfactants (up to 2 g dm^?3) and of readily biodegradable biopolymers (COD 5–15 g dm^?3). The anionic surfactant decyl sulfate (DS) was chosen as model surfactant and soluble starch (size) as model compound for the readily biodegradable fraction of the wastewater. Twenty‐two batch experiments with increasing DS/biomass ratio (and starch/biomass ratio) were started simultaneously. Biomass concentrations ranged from 50 to 15 000 mg dm^?3. Minor inhibition effects were found for the surfactant degradation itself at all DS/biomass ratios (maximum biodegradation rate 7.7 mg_DS g_biomass^?1 h^?1). The starch hydrolysis started without a lag‐phase at DS/biomass ratios of up to 0.15 g_DS g_biomass^?1. The lag‐phase was prolonged to about 100 h at a very high DS/biomass ratio (3 g_DS g_biomass^?1). The relative importance of the accumulated intermediates was dependent on the DS/biomass ratio. Above 0.3 g_DS g_biomass^?1 10% of the substrate organic carbon accumulated as ethanol, but no ethanol accumulation was observed at low DS/biomass ratios. Moderate DS/biomass ratios caused a considerable delay of the methanogenesis; high DS/biomass ratios prevented the methanogenesis almost completely. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Nitrification in a packed bed bioreactor integrated into a marine recirculating maturation system under different substrate concentrations and flow rates

BACKGROUND: A packed bed bioreactor (PBBR) activated with an indigenous nitrifying bacterial consortia was developed and commercialized for rapid establishment of nitrification in brackish water and marine hatchery systems in the tropics. The present study evaluated nitrification in PBBR integrated into a Penaeus monodon recirculating maturation system under different substrate concentrations and flow rates. RESULTS: Instant nitrification was observed after integration of PBBR into the maturation system. TAN and NO₂‐N concentrations were always maintained below 0.5 mg L^?1 during operation. The TAN and NO₂‐N removal was significant (P < 0.001) in all the six reactor compartments of the PBBR having the substrates at initial concentrations of 2, 5 and 10 mg L^?1. The average volumetric TAN removal rates increased with flow rates from 43.51 (250 L h^?1) to 130.44 (2500 L h^?1) gTAN m^?3 day^?1 (P < 0.05). FISH analysis of the biofilms after 70 days of operation gave positive results with probes NSO 190 ((β ammonia oxidizers), NsV 443 (Nitrosospira spp.) NEU (halophilic Nitrosomonas), Ntspa 712 (Phylum Nitrospira) indicating stability of the consortia. CONCLUSION: The PBBR integrated into the P. monodon maturation system exhibited significant nitrification upon operation for 70 days as well as at different substrate concentrations and flow rates. This system can easily be integrated into marine and brackish water aquaculture systems, to establish instantaneous nitrification. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Respirometric estimation of the oxygen affinity constants for biological ammonium and nitrite oxidation

The nitrification process (ie biological ammonium oxidation to nitrate) is a two‐step process with nitrite as an intermediate product. As it is an aerobic process, its kinetics is highly dependent on the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in the medium. However, the influence of this limitation on the nitritation (first step) is shown to be less important than in the nitratation (second step). This dependence on DO concentration is generally described using a Monod‐type kinetics with K_O as the oxygen affinity constant. In this work, a procedure for the calculation of both affinity constants is presented. This procedure is based on monitoring the DO drop in the reactor when external aeration is stopped and the biomass is consuming without substrate (ammonium or nitrite) limitations. This methodology includes the contemplation of the oxygen transfer from the atmosphere, the response time of the DO probe and the inhibition of the nitratation step with sodium azide when estimating K_OA (nitritation oxygen affinity constant). The results obtained are K_OA = 0.74 ± 0.02 mg O₂ dm^?3 and K_ON = 1.75 ± 0.01 mg O₂ dm^?3. Moreover the influence of the aforementioned considerations on the estimated K_O values is also discussed. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

The dynamics of anaerobic phenol biodegradation in lower greensand

The anaerobic biodegradation of phenol in the unsaturated zone beneath landfill sites has been simulated by percolating an artificial landfill leachate containing phenol through columns of disturbed Lower Greensand. The columns were inoculated with microbes from a laboratory-scale landfill simulator. Phenol degradation was observed at concentrations up to 8.2 g dm^?3 but decomposition was increasingly inhibited above 3.0 g dm^?3. Maximum rates of decomposition were observed at concentrations between 1.5 and 3.0 g dm^?3. The V_max value at a flow rate of 0.5 cm³ h^?1 was 1.05 g dm^?3h^?1 and the K_m value was 450 mg phenol dm_?3. Zero- (r₀) and first-order (r₁) rate constants increased with increasing flow rate. The data are used to calculate the rates of phenol degradation which might be obtained in real landfill.     

The effect of an enzymatic pretreatment on the hydrolysis and size reduction of fat particles in slaughterhouse wastewater

The effect of an enzymatic pretreatment, Pancreatic Lipase 250 (PL‐250), on the hydrolysis and size reduction of fat particles in slaughterhouse wastewater was characterised for enzyme doses ranging from 125 to 1000 mg dm^?3 and initial particle sizes (D_in) varying between 53 and 383 µm. Treatment with PL‐250 significantly reduced the size of pork fat particles in slaughterhouse wastewater. Particle size reduction increased with D_in, possibly due to the more filamentous and plate‐like configuration of the larger fat particles, which could be easily broken at weak points. The smaller particles were observed to be denser and more spherical. Size reduction also increased with enzyme concentration, but the benefit of adding more enzyme diminished greatly as enzyme dose was increased. The maximum long‐chain fatty acid (LCFA) concentration in filtered samples was detected after 4–7 h of treatment and ranged from 8.2 to 34.9 mg dm^?3. The linear rate of LCFA released in solution during enzymatic pretreatment ranged from 39.4 to 169.9 mg dm^?3 d^?1, and increased with enzyme concentration up to 500 mg dm^?3. At a PL‐250 concentration of 1000 mg dm^?3, the LCFA release rate decreased, maybe due to excessive layering of adsorbed enzyme on the fat particles or increased degradation of released LCFAs. The pretreatment appeared to be more efficient with beef than pork fat particles. However, the effect of an enzymatic pretreatment on a downstream anaerobic treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater containing fat particles remains to be tested. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of cationic polymer on start‐up and granulation in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors

The upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) has been used successfully to treat a variety of industrial wastewaters. It offers a high degree of organics removal, low sludge production and low energy consumption, along with energy production in the form of biogas. However, two major drawbacks are its long start‐up period and deficiency of active biogranules for proper functioning of the process. In this study, the influence of a coagulant polymer on start‐up, sludge granulation and the associated reactor performance was evaluated in four laboratory‐scale UASB reactors. A control reactor (R1) was operated without added polymer, while the other three reactors, designated R2, R3 and R4, were operated with polymer concentrations of 5 mg dm^?3, 10 mg dm^?3 and 20 mg dm^?3, respectively. Adding the polymer at a concentration of 20 mg dm^?3 markedly reduced the start‐up time. The time required to reach stable treatment at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 4.8 g COD dm^?3 d^?1 was reduced by more than 36% (R4) as compared with both R1 and R3, and by 46% as compared with R2. R4 was able to handle an OLR of 16 g COD dm^?3 d^?1 after 93 days of operation, while R1, R2 and R3 achieved the same loading rate only after 116, 116 and 109 days respectively. Compared with the control reactor, the start‐up time of R4 was shortened by about 20% at this OLR. Granule characterization indicated that the granules developed in R4 with 20 mg dm^?3 polymer exhibited the best settleability and methanogenic activity at all OLRs. The organic loading capacities of the reactors were also increased by the addition of polymer. The maximum organic loading of the control reactor (R1) without added polymer was 19.2 g COD dm^?3 d^?1, while the three polymer‐assisted reactors attained a marked increase in organic loading of 25.6 g COD dm^?3 d^?1. Adding the cationic polymer could result in shortening of start‐up time and enhancement of granulation, which may in turn lead to improvement in the efficiency of organics removal and loading capacity of the UASB system. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Sustained nitrite accumulation in a membrane‐assisted bioreactor (MBR) for the treatment of ammonium‐rich wastewater

A membrane‐assisted bioreactor (MBR) for sustained nitrite accumulation is presented, treating a synthetic wastewater with total ammonium nitrogen (TAN) concentrations of 1 kg N m^?3 at a hydraulic retention time down to 1 day. Complete biomass retention was obtained by microfiltration with submerged hollow fibre membranes. A membrane flux up to 189.5 dm³ day^?1 m^?2 could be maintained at a suction pressure below 100 kPa. Nitrification was effectively blocked at the nitrite stage (nitritation), and nitrate concentration was less than 29 g N m^?3. The rate of aeration was reduced to obtain a mixture of ammonium and nitrite, and after adjusting this rate the TAN/NO₂‐N ratio in the reactor effluent was kept around unity, making it suitable for further treatment by anaerobic oxidation of ammonium with nitrite. After increasing again the rate of aeration, complete nitrification to nitrate recovered after 11 days. It is suggested that nitrite accumulation resulted from a combination of factors. First, the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration in the reactor was always limited with concentrations below 0.1 g DO m^?3, thereby limiting nitrification and preventing significant nitrate formation. The latter is attributed to the fact that ammonium‐oxidising bacteria cope better with low DO concentrations than nitrite oxidisers. Second, the MBR was operated at a high ammonia concentration of 7–54 g N m^?3, resulting in ammonia inhibition of the nitrite‐oxidising microorganisms. Third, a temperature of 35 °C was reported to yield a higher maximum growth rate for ammonium‐oxidising bacteria than for nitrite‐oxidising bacteria. Nitrite oxidisers were always present in the MBR but were out‐competed under the indicated process conditions, which is reflected in low concentrations of nitrate. Oxygen limitation was shown to be the most important factor to sustain nitrite accumulation. Nevertheless, nitritation was possible at ambient temperature (22–24 °C), lower ammonia concentration (<7 g N m^?3) and when using raw nitrogenous wastewater containing some biodegradable carbon. Overall, application of the MBR for nitritation was shown to be a reliable technology. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Colour removal from textile effluents using hardwood sawdust as an absorbent

Decolourisation of a dilute solution of a basic dyestuff was carried out by using hardwood sawdust as adsorbent. At 80°C 85% decolourisation occurred within 100 min at an initial concentration (C_o) of 200 mg dm^?3. There was a 44% reduction in contact time when the temperature was raised from 25 to 80°C. The rate parameter for different initial dye concentrations was found to follow the equation: k_co=4.20C_o^0.88 and the rate parameter for different mean diameter d_m followed the equation k_dm=4.1 (l/d_m)^0.135. The activation energy of the process was 9.83 kJ mol^?1 which shows that the rate controlling step is intraparticle diffusion.     

Autotrophic nitrification and denitrification characteristics of an upflow biological aerated filter

Wastewater nitrification was carried out using a laboratory‐scale upflow biological aerated filter (BAF) packed with a polyurethane‐based porous medium. The filtration medium has macro‐pores which provide a greater surface area for the development of biofilms. The macro‐pores have both aerobic and anaerobic zones, depending on the depth of oxygen penetration in the medium. Wastewater ammonium was oxidized at a maximum rate of 1.8 kg NH₄⁺m^?3d^?1 and showed more than 90% nitrification efficiency in the BAF. During the biological nitrification of wastewater, considerable nitrogen loss was observed in the BAF under oxygen‐limited conditions when organic carbons were not provided for denitrification. Most probably, the lost nitrogen was converted to gaseous nitrogen compounds including dinitrogen by autotrophic dentrification and anaerobic ammonium oxidation. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry