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Development of a correlation to study parameters affecting nitrification in a domestic wastewater treatment plant
Author(s) -
Coskuner Gulnur,
Jassim Majeed S
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.1808
Subject(s) - nitrification , wastewater , activated sludge , chemical oxygen demand , environmental engineering , mixed liquor suspended solids , nitrate , sewage treatment , pulp and paper industry , hydraulic retention time , ammonia , nitrifying bacteria , chemistry , environmental science , environmental chemistry , nitrogen , engineering , organic chemistry
BACKGROUND: Nitrification performance of an activated sludge reactor treating weak domestic wastewater was investigated for 11 months. Ammonia nitrogen removals were investigated as a function of wastewater composition and operational conditions. Backward elimination experimental design was used to determine the influence of the most important independent variables on NH 3 ‐N removal efficiencies. Influent ammonia and biological oxygen demand (BOD 5 ) concentrations, hydraulic retention time (HRT), mixed liquid suspended solids (MLSS), temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration were considered as independent variables. This study aimed to find the most important parameters to describe nitrification performance. RESULTS: The presence of nitrification was confirmed by ammonia and nitrate variations throughout the reactor; ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) populations were determined using a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) method. MLSS concentration, influent BOD 5 concentration and temperature were found to be the most influential factors on nitrification performance. The empirical correlation using multiple linear regressions was statistically significant and produced an adjusted coefficient of multiple determinations (R 2 adj ) of 92.5%. CONCLUSION: Correlation provides a good understanding of the various parameters that affect the nitrification process, and could be extended to other case studies. Using these results, operators can apply proper operational strategies to maintain nitrification in wastewater treatment plants. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry