ABSTRACT
The Activated Sludge Model for Nitrogen (ASMN) was evaluated by conducting simulations under both steady-state and dynamic conditions using a wastewater containing high concentrations of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nitrogen, and an inhibitor of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. The adopted wastewater characteristics were based on data from several industrial wastewater treatment facilities. The simulations were performed at a variety of temperatures, solids retention times, dissolved oxygen concentrations, pH values, and salt concentrations. The nitrification operating window was defined, and denitrification performance was characterized. The pH and temperature were found to be the most important variables affecting nitrification performance under upset or startup conditions, with lower pH values allowing better performance at higher temperatures for the high-nitrogen wastewater used in the simulations. Emissions of nitric oxide and nitrous oxide were higher than generally thought to occur and were directly linked to depletion of the electron donor in the anoxic reactor. The findings concerning pH, temperature, and gaseous emissions were all consistent with the known growth characteristics of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria. Parameter and process variable sensitivity studies were performed, and guidelines for improved biological nitrogen removal were developed.
Subject(s)
Models, Biological , Nitrogen/isolation & purification , Nitrogen/metabolism , Sewage/chemistry , Waste Disposal, Fluid/methods , Water Purification/methods , Ammonia/analysis , Ammonia/metabolism , Bacteria/metabolism , Biomass , Bioreactors , Gases/analysis , Gases/metabolism , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Industrial Waste , Nitrites/chemistry , Nitrites/metabolism , Nitrogen Oxides/analysis , Nitrogen Oxides/metabolism , Oxygen/chemistry , Oxygen/metabolism , Temperature , Time FactorsABSTRACT
The currently available comprehensive activated sludge models, ASM#1 (Grady et al., 1986) and its successor ASM#3 (Gujer et al., 1999), do not adequately describe nitrification and denitrification, with respect to ammonia oxidation inhibition, nitrite accumulation, or emissions of nitric oxide and nitrous oxide. A new comprehensive activated sludge process model, the Activated Sludge Model for Nitrogen (ASMN), is presented. The ASMN incorporates two nitrifying populations-ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria-using free ammonia and free nitrous acid, respectively, as their true substrates. The ASMN incorporates four-step denitrification (sequential reduction of nitrate to nitrogen gas via nitrite, nitric oxide, and nitrous oxide) using individual, reaction-specific parameters. Simulation results for ammonia, nitrate, soluble substrate, and biomass concentrations determined by using ASMN for three activated sludge process configurations under steady-state and dynamic municipal-type influent conditions are shown to be comparable with ASM#1 results.
