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Enhanced biological nitrogen removal in MLE combined with post-denitrification process and EF clarifier

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Abstract

A modified ludzack ettinger reactor (MLE) combined with a post-denitrification reactor (PDMLE) using electroflotation (EF) as a secondary clarifier was investigated on its feasibility and process performance. Results indicated that higher mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentrations in bioreactor (5,350 ± 352 mg L−1) were maintained via the highly concentrated return sludge (16,771 ± 991 mg L−1) from the EF clarifier and the effluent suspended solids (SS) concentrations continued relatively low, representing effluent SS concentration of 1.71 ± 1.16 mg L−1, compared with GS-A2O process during the operation of four months. The denitrification was improved by combining MLE process with post-denitrification based on endogenous decay (i.e. no additional carbon source was added), resulting in the removal efficiencies of TN were about 91 and 59% for the influent C/N ratio of 10 and 5, respectively, revealing relatively high nitrogen removal as compared with EF-A2O and gravity settling (GS)-A2O processes as a control. The nitrogen balance analysis indicates that pre-denitrification and post-denitrification contributed to 78 and 22% of TN removed, respectively.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the financial supports by Eco-STAR project (Project No. I2WATERTECH 04-5) and SNU SIR Group of the BK21 research Program funded by Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urban Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan

    C. M. Chung

  2. Water Environment Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 131, Cheongryang, Seoul, 130-650, Republic of Korea

    K. W. Cho

  3. R&D Center, POSCO E&C, 36-1 Songdodong, Younsugu, Incheon, Republic of Korea

    Y. J. Kim

  4. Environmental Science Center, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan

    K. Yamamoto

  5. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Seoul National University, Gwanak 599 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 151-742, Republic of Korea

    T. H. Chung

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  1. C. M. Chung
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  2. K. W. Cho
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  3. Y. J. Kim
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  4. K. Yamamoto
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  5. T. H. Chung
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Correspondence to T. H. Chung.

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Chung, C.M., Cho, K.W., Kim, Y.J. et al. Enhanced biological nitrogen removal in MLE combined with post-denitrification process and EF clarifier. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 35, 503–511 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-011-0623-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00449-011-0623-y

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