Startup of pilot-scale single-stage nitrogen removal using anammox and partial nitritation (SNAP) reactor for waste brine treatment using marine anammox bacteria.

This study is the first to demonstrate the startup of a pilot-scale single-stage nitrogen removal using anammox and partial nitritation (SNAP) reactor utilizing marine anammox bacteria. A complete mixing type reactor, continuously fed with waste brine obtained from a natural gas plant (salinity 3%, NH4+-N 130-180 mg/L) and having an effective volume of 2 m3, achieved stable operation at temperatures of 20-30°C with a maximum nitrogen removal rate of 1.43 kg-N/m3/day. During the startup process, along with a small amount of seed sludge, granular sludge was additionally inoculated as a biomass carrier for the enrichment of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB), followed by the enrichment of anammox bacteria. A mesh screen equipped at the outlet of the reactor facilitated the successful sludge retention in the reactor. Analysis of bacterial community composition indicated that Candidatus Scalindua was successfully enriched in the pilot SNAP reactor. These methods for stable sludge retention in the reactor greatly contributed to the startup of the first pilot-scale SNAP reactor using marine anammox bacteria.

High-rate nitrogen removal from waste brine by marine anammox bacteria in a pilot-scale UASB reactor.

The goal of this study was to develop a startup strategy for a high-rate anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) reactor to treat waste brine with high concentrations of ammonium from a natural gas plant. An upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) anammox reactor with an effective volume of 294 L was fed continuously with waste brine with a salinity of 3% and a NH4+ concentration of 180 mg-N/L, as well as a NaNO2 solution. By inoculating a methanogenic granular biomass as a biomass carrier, the reactor attained the maximum volumetric nitrogen removal rate (NRR) of 10.7 kg-N/m3/day on day 209, which was 1.7 times higher than the highest reported NRR for wastewater of comparable salinity. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons revealed that Candidatus Scalindua wagneri was enriched successfully in granules in the UASB, and it replaced Methanosaeta and became dominant in the granule. The inhibitory effect of NO2- on the anammox reaction in the granules was assessed by a 15N tracer method, and the results showed that anammox activity was maintained at 60% after exposure to 300 mg-N/L of NO2- for 24 h. Compared with previous studies of the susceptibilities of Candidatus Brocadia and Candidatus Kuenenia to NO2-, the enriched marine anammox bacteria were proven to have comparable or even higher tolerances for high NO2- concentrations after a long exposure.

A novel control method for nitritation: The domination of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria by high concentrations of inorganic carbon in an airlift-fluidized bed reactor.

A novel nitritation method based on the addition of inorganic carbon (IC) was verified using an airlift-fluidized bed reactor packed with sponge cubes. A continuous-treatment experiment demonstrated that the type of nitrification-nitrite or nitrate accumulation-could be controlled by the addition of different alkalinity sources (NaHCO(3) or NaOH, respectively). The maximum rate of ammonia oxidation at 30 degrees C was 2.47kg-N/(m(3) d), with nitrate formation of less than 0.5% of the converted ammonia. Nitrite accumulation of over 90% was maintained stably over 250 days at 30 degrees C and was achieved even at 19 degrees C. Qualitative and quantitative shifts of nitrifying bacteria in the biofilm were monitored by real-time PCR and T-RFLP analysis. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were dominant but nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) were eliminated in the reactor when NaHCO(3) was used as the alkalinity source. From the kinetic data, we inferred that high IC concentrations drive stable nitritation by promoting a higher growth rate for AOB than for NOB.

Startup of reactors for anoxic ammonium oxidation: experiences from the first full-scale anammox reactor in Rotterdam.

The first full-scale anammox reactor in the world was started in Rotterdam (NL). The reactor was scaled-up directly from laboratory-scale to full-scale and treats up to 750 kg-N/d. In the initial phase of the startup, anammox conversions could not be identified by traditional methods, but quantitative PCR proved to be a reliable indicator for growth of the anammox population, indicating an anammox doubling time of 10-12 days. The experience gained during this first startup in combination with the availability of seed sludge from this reactor, will lead to a faster startup of anammox reactors in the future. The anammox reactor type employed in Rotterdam was compared to other reactor types for the anammox process. Reactors with a high specific surface area like the granular sludge reactor employed in Rotterdam provide the highest volumetric loading rates. Mass transfer of nitrite into the biofilm is limiting the conversion of those reactor types that have a lower specific surface area. Now the first full-scale commercial anammox reactor is in operation, a consistent and descriptive nomenclature is suggested for reactors in which the anammox process is employed.

Nitrogen removal from animal waste treatment water by anammox enrichment.

The aim of this work was to examine the applicability of the anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process to three kinds of low BOD/N ratio wastewaters from animal waste treatment processes in batch mode. A rapid decrease of NO(2)(-) and NH(4)(+) was observed during incubation with wastewaters from AS and UASB/trickling filter and their corresponding control artificial wastewaters. This nitrogen removal resulted from the anammox reaction, because the ratio of removed NO(2)(-) and NH(4)(+) was close to the theoretical ratio of the anammox reaction. Comparison of the inorganic nitrogen removal rate of the actual wastewater and that of control artificial wastewater showed that these two kinds of wastewater were very suitable for anammox treatment. Incubation with wastewater from RW did not show a clear anammox reaction; however, diluting it by half enabled the reaction, suggesting the presence of an inhibitory factor. This study showed that the three kinds of wastewater from animal waste treatment processes were suitable for anammox treatment.