Open AccessTest of Porous Ceramic Material for the Immobilisation of Predominant Nitrifying Bacteria and for the Improvement of the AAO Process
Author(s) -
Lee J.M.,
Choi I.S.,
Wiesmann U.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
engineering in life sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.547
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1618-2863
pISSN - 1618-0240
DOI - 10.1002/elsc.200420001
Subject(s) - nitrification , nitrifying bacteria , activated sludge , anoxic waters , anaerobic exercise , chemistry , pulp and paper industry , materials science , nitrogen , environmental engineering , wastewater , environmental chemistry , environmental science , organic chemistry , biology , physiology , engineering
Abstract The efficiency of nitrification in a fixed bed reactor was compared to that found in an activated sludge reactor to determine their sensitivity to changing loads and lower temperatures. Two structurally identical lab‐scale systems, using the anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic (AAO) process to remove nitrogen and phosphorus simultaneously, were operated in parallel with secondary clarifiers and sludge return. The first aerobic system was operated as an activated sludge reactor, the second system as a fixed bed reactor. The aerobic fixed bed reactor was filled with porous ceramic materials for the immobilisation of predominantly nitrifying bacteria. The removal efficiencies of 99 % NH 4 + ‐N, 90 % DOC, and 98 % PO 4 3– ‐P for normal loads of 0.11 g/L d DOC, 0.06 g/L d NH 4 + ‐N, and 0.0054 g/L d PO 4 3– ‐P were achieved for both systems. However, the system with an aerobic fixed bed reactor was characterised by the following advantages over the system with an activated sludge reactor: a shorter time to reach almost complete nitrification, a higher nitrification rate at higher loads of NH 4 + ‐N and a lower sensitivity of nitrification at lower temperatures down to 12 °C.