Effect of ammonia load on efficiency of nitrogen removal in an SBBR with liquid-phase circulation

Autor(es)

C. S. A. Canto ^[1] ; S. M. Ratusznei ^[2] ; J. A. D. Rodrigues ^[3] ; M. Zaiat ^[4] ; E. Foresti ^[5]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Escola de Engenharia Mauá. Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia - Brasil

^[2] Escola de Engenharia Mauá. Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia - Brasil

^[3] Escola de Engenharia Mauá. Instituto Mauá de Tecnologia - Brasil

^[4] Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos. Departamento de Hidráulica e Saneamento - Brasil

^[5] Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos. Departamento de Hidráulica e Saneamento - Brasil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering; v. 25, n. 2, p. 275-289, 2008-06-00.

Resumo

The removal of biological nitrogen from a synthetic wastewater with different ammonium nitrogen concentrations (50 and 100 mgN-NH4+/L) by a nitrification and denitrification process using a sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) with liquid-phase circulation was studied. The system with a total working volume of 4.6 L (3.7 L in the reactor and 0.9 L in the reservoir) treated 2.1 L of synthetic wastewater in 12-h cycles. As inoculum two types of biomass were used: an anaerobic/anoxic one from an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASB) and an aerobic one from a prolonged aeration activated sludge system. The system, maintained at 30 ± 1 ºC, operated in batch mode followed by fed-batch mode and was aerated intermittently. During fed-batch operation the reactor was fed with an external carbon source as electron donor in the denitrifying step and with no aeration. When the reactor was fed with 50 mgN-NH4+/L, efficiencies of removal of ammonium nitrogen and total nitrogen from the effluent were 93.8 and 72.2%, respectively, and nitrite, nitrate and organic nitrogen concentrations were 0.07, 6.4 and 0.5 mg/L, respectively. On the other hand, when the influent ammonium nitrogen concentration was 100 mgN-NH4+/L, residual nitrite and nitrate were 0.17 and 20.4, respectively, and no N-Org was found in the effluent. It should be mentioned that residual nitrate remained unaltered at the different C/N ratios used. Consequently, efficiency of total nitrogen removal was reduced to 66.7%, despite efficiency of ammonium nitrogen removal exceeding 90%. These results show the potential of the proposed system in removing ammonium nitrogen from liquid effluents with a moderate ammonium nitrogen concentration. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 02/07504-0 - Remoção de nitrogênio de efluente de reator anaeróbio pelo processo de nitrificação e desnitrificação em etapa única por reator com recirculação da fase líquida e microaerado, com biomassa imobilizada
• Beneficiário: Catarina Simone Andrade do Canto
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 01/05489-0 - Desenvolvimento, análise, aprimoramento e otimização de reatores anaeróbios para tratamento de águas residuárias
• Beneficiário: Eugenio Foresti
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático