Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Purification of high ammonia wastewater in a biofilm airlift loop bioreactor with microbial communities analysis

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A 70 m3 gas–liquid–solid three-phase flow airlift loop bioreactor, in which biofilm attached on granular active carbon carriers, was used for purification of the high ammonia wastewater from bioethanol production. Under the optimum operating conditions, COD and NH4 +-N average removal rate of 89.0 and 98.6 % were obtained at hydraulic retention time of 10 h. Scanning electron microscopy was applied for observation of the biofilm formation. High contaminants removal efficiency was achieved by holding high biomass concentration in the reactor due to the attached biofilm over the carriers. The 16S rRNA gene clone library analysis indicated that 68.6 % of the clones were affiliated with the two phyla Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, and residual clones clustered with various sequences from uncultured bacteria. The presence of various anoxic/anaerobic bacteria indicated that the oxygen gradient inside the biofilm could provide appropriate micro-environment for nitrogen removal through simultaneous nitrification and denitrification.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

ALR:

Airlift loop bioreactor

BPS:

Baffle plate separator

COD:

Chemical oxygen demand

DO:

Dissolved oxygen

GAC:

Granular active carbon

HRT:

Hydraulic retention time

ID:

Internal diameter

NLR:

Nitrogen loading rate

OTU:

Operational taxonomic unit

SAA:

Soaking in aqueous ammonia

SEM:

Scanning electron microscopy

References

  • APHA (1998) Standard methods for examination of water and wastewater, 20th edn. American Public Health Association, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Bosshard PP, Santini Y, Grüter D, Stettler R, Bachofen R (2000) Bacterial diversity and community composition in the chemocline of the meromictic alpine lake Cadagno as revealed by 16S rDNA analysis. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 31:173–182

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Daniel RM, Limmer AW, Steele KW, Smith IM (1982) Anaerobic growth, nitrate reduction and denitrification in 46 Rhizobium strains. J Gen Microbiol 128:1811–1815

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dhamole PB, Nair RR, D’Souza SF, Lele S (2009) Simultaneous removal of carbon and nitrate in an airlift bioreactor. Bioresour Technol 100:1082–1086

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Du C, Wu ZB, Xiao ER, Zhou QH, Cheng SP, Liang W, He F (2008) Bacterial diversity in activated sludge from a consecutively aerated submerged membrane bioreactor treating domestic wastewater. J Environ Sci 20:1210–1217

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • ElMekawy A, Ludo Diels, De Wever H, Pant D (2013) Valorization of cereal based biorefinery byproducts: reality and expectations. Environ Sci Technol 47:9014–9027

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fakhari ME, Moraveji MK, Davarnejad R (2014) Hydrodynamics and mass transfer of oily micro-emulsions in an external loop airlift reactor. Chin J Chem Eng 22:267–273

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Feng CJ, Zhang ZJ, Wang SM, Fang F, Ye ZL, Chen SH (2013) Characterization of microbial community structure in a hybrid biofilm-activated sludge reactor for simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal. J Environ Biol 34:489–499

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fu B, Liao XY, Ding LL, Ren HQ (2010) Characterization of microbial community in an aerobic moving bed biofilm reactor applied for simultaneous nitrification and denitrification. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 26:1981–1990

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fu B, Liao XY, Liang R, Ding LL, Xu K, Ren HQ (2011) COD removal from expanded granular sludge bed effluent using a moving bed biofilm reactor and their microbial community analysis. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 27:915–923

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furuhata K, Kato Y, Goto K, Saitou K, Sugiyama JI, Hara M, Fukuyama M (2008) Identification of pink-pigmented bacteria isolated from environmental water samples and their biofilm formation abilities. Biocontrol Sci 13:33–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo HY, Zhou JT, Su J, Zhang ZY (2005) Integration of nitrification and denitrification in airlift bioreactor. Biochem Eng J 23:57–62

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Isci A, Himmelsbach JN, Pometto AL, Raman DR, Anex RP (2008) Aqueous ammonia soaking of switchgrass followed by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 144:69–77

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang Y, Sorokin DY, Kleerebezem R, Muyzer G, van Loosdrecht M (2011) Plasticicumulans acidivorans gen. nov., sp nov., a polyhydroxyalkanoate-accumulating gammaproteobacterium from a sequencing-batch bioreactor. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 61:2314–2319

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang M, Zhang YL, Zhou XF, Su YM, Zhang M, Zhang K (2013) Simultaneous carbon and nutrient removal in an airlift loop reactor under a limited filamentous bulking state. Bioresour Technol 130:406–411

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jin RC, Zheng P, Mahmood Q, Zhang L (2008) Performance of a nitrifying airlift reactor using granular sludge. Sep Purif Technol 63:670–675

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kim TH, Nghiem NP, Hicks KB (2009) Pretreatment and fractionation of corn stover by soaking in ethanol and aqueous ammonia. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 153:171–179

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lim JH, Baek SH, Lee ST (2009) Ferruginibacter alkalilentus gen. nov., sp nov and Ferruginibacter lapsinanis sp nov., novel members of the family ‘Chitinophagaceae’ in the phylum Bacteroidetes, isolated from freshwater sediment. Int J Syst Evol Micrbiol 59:2394–2399

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu XL, Wen JP, Yuan Q, Zhao XM (2005) The pilot study for oil refinery wastewater treatment using a gas-liquid-solid three phase flow airlift loop bioreactor. Biochem Eng J 27:40–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu S, Park M, Ro HS, Lee DS, Park W, Jeon CO (2006) Analysis of microbial communities using culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches in an anaerobic/aerobic SBR reactor. J Microbiol 44:155–161

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Luo LJ, Liu FN, Xu YY, Yuan JQ (2011) Hydrodynamics and mass transfer characteristics in an internal loop airlift reactor with different spargers. Chem Eng J 175:494–504

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Luo LJ, Yuan JQ, Xie P, Sun JW, Guo W (2013) Hydrodynamics and mass transfer characteristics in an internal loop airlift reactor with sieve plates. Chem Eng Res Des 91:2377–2388

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Muda K, Aris A, Salim RS, Ibrahim Z, van Loosdrecht MCM, Ahmad A, Nawahwi MZ (2011) The effect of hydraulic retention time on granular sludge biomass in treating textile wastewater. Water Res 45:4711–4721

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Qiu CS, Jia XQ, Wen JP (2011) Purification of high strength wastewater originating from bioethanol production with simultaneous biogas production. World J Microb Biotech 27:2711–2722

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sadaie T, Sadaie A, Takada M, Hamano K, Ohnishi J, Ohta N, Matsumoto K, Sadaie Y (2007) Reducing sludge production and the domination of Comamonadaceae by reducing the oxygen supply in the wastewater treatment procedure of a food-processing factory. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 71:791–799

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanchez OJ, Cardona CA (2008) Trends in biotechnological production of fuel ethanol from different feedstocks. Bioresour Technol 99:5270–5295

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Srinivas TNR, Kumar PA, Sasikala C, Ramana CV, Imhoff JF (2007) Rhodobacter vinaykumarii sp nov., a marine phototrophic alphaproteobacterium from tidal waters, and emended description of the genus Rhodobacter. Int J Syst Evol Micrbiol 57:1984–1987

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stackebrandt E, Goebel BM (1994) A place for DNA-DNA reassociation and 16S rRNA sequence-analysis in the present species definition in bacteriology. Int J Syst Bacteriol 44:846–849

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun FQ (2013) Nitrogen removal from landfill leachate by a combined ex situ and in situ biological processes. Ph.D Thesis, Zhejiang University, 81–84

  • Sun WJ, Sierra-Alvarez R, Field JA (2011) Long term performance of an arsenite-oxidizing-chlorate-reducing microbial consortium in an upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) bioreactor. Bioresour Technol 102:5010–5016

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walters E, Hille A, He M, Ochmann C, Horn H (2009) Simultaneous nitrification/denitrification in a biofilm airlift suspension (BAS) reactor with biodegradable carrier material. Water Res 43:4461–4468

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Jia XQ, Wen JP (2011) Transient CFD modeling of toluene waste gas biodegradation in a gas–liquid–solid three-phase airlift loop reactor by immobilized Pseudomonas putida. Chem Eng J 172:735–745

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wen JP, Jia XQ, Pan L, Wang CL, Mao GZ (2005) Nitrifying treatment of wastewater from fertilizer production in a multiple airlift loop bioreactor. Biochem Eng J 25:33–37

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xia S, Li J, Wang R (2008) Nitrogen removal performance and microbial community structure dynamics response to carbon nitrogen ratio in a compact suspended carrier biofilm reactor. Ecol Eng 32:256–262

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xie CH, Yokota A (2006) Zoogloea oryzae sp. nov., a nitrogen-fixing bacterium isolated from rice paddy soil, and reclassification of the strain ATCC 19623 as Crabtreella saccharophila gen. nov., sp. nov. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 56:619–624

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng SK, Cui CC, Quan Y, Sun J (2013) Microaerobic DO-induced microbial mechanisms responsible for enormous energy saving in upflow microaerobic sludge blanket reactor. Bioresour Technol 140:192–198

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21206106), the High School Science & Technology Fund Planning Project of Tianjin education committee, China (No. 20130515), and Research Fund of Tianjin Key Laboratory of Aquatic Science and Technology.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Tianjin Chengjian University, Tianjin, 300384, People’s Republic of China

    Chunsheng Qiu, Dandan Zhang & Liping Sun

  2. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Aqueous Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300384, People’s Republic of China

    Chunsheng Qiu, Dandan Zhang & Liping Sun

  3. Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People’s Republic of China

    Jianping Wen

Authors
  1. Chunsheng Qiu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dandan Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Liping Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jianping Wen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chunsheng Qiu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Qiu, C., Zhang, D., Sun, L. et al. Purification of high ammonia wastewater in a biofilm airlift loop bioreactor with microbial communities analysis. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 31, 49–57 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-014-1763-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-014-1763-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation