Removal of residual organic matter and nitrogen and from UASB effluent from WWTP via PN/Anammox and PD/Anammox

• Grant number: 21/12399-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: April 01, 2022
• End date: December 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment
• Principal Investigator: Márcia Helena Rissato Zamariolli Damianovic
• Grantee: Paula Yumi Takeda
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/16315-2 - Evaluation of antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance genes and pathogens removal in a decentralized wastewater treatment, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

The combined process of partial nitrification (PN) and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) (PN/AMX) has emerged as a promising technological alternative for nitrogen removal from wastewater, offering environmental and economic advantages over conventional nitrification-denitrification processes. These advantages include lower energy consumption due to reduced aeration requirements, lower sludge production, and the absence of external organic carbon supplementation. However, the stable application of the PN/AMX process in domestic wastewater, characterized by low nitrogen concentrations and a high C:N ratio, remains a technical challenge due to the instability of partial nitrification and competition between autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms. In this context, the integration of partial denitrification (PD) with the ANAMMOX process (PD/AMX) emerges as an alternative to enhance nitrogen removal from anaerobic effluents of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The presence of residual organic matter in these effluents favors the establishment of a mixotrophic system, in which autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms coexist and employ distinct metabolic pathways for nitrogen conversion. This coexistence can promote greater operational stability and overall efficiency, by taking advantage of partial denitrification to supply nitrite for the anammox reaction. Therefore, this project aims to investigate the optimal conditions for the stable application of the PN/AMX process in continuous single- and two-stage reactors, and of the PD/AMX process in single-stage reactors, for the treatment of UASB reactor effluent from domestic WWTPs. The study seeks to advance the understanding of integrated biological nitrogen removal systems and to contribute to the development of sustainable alternatives for domestic wastewater treatment.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

TAKEDA, PAULA YUMI; PAULA, CAROLINA TAVARES; DO VALE BORGES, ANDRE; SHIBATA, ANTONIO EMILIO; GRANGEIRO, LUANA CARDOSO; DAMIANOVIC, MARCIA HELENA RISSATO ZAMARIOLLI. A critical review of the mainstream anammox-based processes in warm climate regions: Potential, performance, and control strategies. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, v. 12, n. 5, p. 16-pg., 2024-08-02. (20/09912-6, 21/12399-1)

PAULA, CAROLINA TAVARES; TAKEDA, PAULA YUMI; GIGLIO, GUILHERME LELIS; DAMIANOVIC, MARCIA HELENA RISSATO ZAMARIOLLI. Nitrogen removal from multi-electrolyte saline wastewater via mainstream anammox in warm climate conditions. Journal of Environmental Management, v. 375, p. 10-pg., 2025-01-25. (15/06246-7, 21/12399-1)

TAKEDA, PAULA YUMI; PAULA, CAROLINA TAVARES; CARNEIRO, RODRIGO BRAZ; BORGES, ANDRE DO VALE; GRANGEIRO, LUANA CARDOSO; DAMIANOVIC, MARCIA HELENA RISSATO ZAMARIOLLI. Challenges in achieving partial nitrification: Simultaneous nitrification-denitrification as the dominant pathway in municipal wastewater treatment. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, v. 13, n. 2, p. 10-pg., 2025-04-01. (21/12399-1, 20/09912-6, 19/22532-0)