Removal of residual organic matter, nitrogen and dissolved methane from UASB effluent from WWTP via NP/ANAMMOX and n-DAMO processes

• Grant number: 21/12399-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): April 01, 2022
• Status: Discontinued
• 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 ammonia oxidation (ANAMMOX) (PN/AMX) presents itself as a promising technology for the removal of nitrogen from wastewater. The PN/AMX system combines environmental and economic advantages by generating less waste (sludge), reducing energy costs (aeration) and dispensing external supplementation of organic matter, when compared to the conventional nitrification/denitrification process. Widely used in the treatment of nitrogen-rich wastewater, the PN/AMX process presents challenges to be overcome in the treatment of low-strength ammonia wastewater and high C:N ratio wastewater, such as effluents from anaerobic reactors treating domestic sewage. Thus, this research will aim to evaluate the adequate conditions for the stable application of the PN/AMX process in continuous one-stage (PN/AMX in a single reactor) and two-stage reactors (PN and AMX sequential reactors) for anaerobic effluents from Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). Furthermore, the presence of dissolved methane in anaerobic reactors effluents used in the treatment of domestic sewage varies from 20-60%, which reaches the atmosphere when discharged into receiving bodies. The potential of methane for the greenhouse effect is a topic of great relevance, requiring mitigation. Recently, an anaerobic oxidation process of methane to carbon dioxide was discovered, using nitrite/nitrate as electron acceptor (n-DAMO). The combination of the PN/AMX and n-DAMO processes has attracted the attention of researchers by exploring an association between the biogeochemical cycles of carbon and nitrogen. In this context, this project proposes to study the application of the PN/AMX process in continuous reactors in the UASB effluent of a WWTP and to elucidate, in batch reactors, the interaction between the NP, ANAMMOX and n-DAMO processes in the presence of dissolved methane.