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Effect of Biological and Mass Transfer Parameter Uncertainty on N 2 O Emission Estimates from WRRFs
Author(s) -
Song Kang,
Harper Willie F.,
Takeuchi Yuki,
Hosomi Masaaki,
Terada Akihiko
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143015x14338845155066
Subject(s) - nitrous oxide , monte carlo method , abiotic component , mass transfer , chemistry , wastewater , mass transfer coefficient , environmental engineering , environmental chemistry , environmental science , thermodynamics , mathematics , physics , statistics , ecology , chromatography , biology , organic chemistry
ABSTRACT: This research used the detailed activated sludge model (ASM) to investigate the effect of parameter uncertainty on nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions from biological wastewater treatment systems. Monte Carlo simulations accounted for uncertainty in the values of the microbial growth parameters and in the volumetric mass transfer coefficient for dissolved oxygen (k L a DO ), and the results show that the detailed ASM predicted N 2 O emission of less than 4% (typically 1%) of the total influent loading. Uncertainties in k L a DO were further investigated in experiments, which showed that lower values of k L a DO generated higher soluble N 2 O levels. The detailed ASM likely requires revision to account for abiotic reactions and other factors that cause higher levels of N 2 O emission.