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Enhancement of post-anoxic denitrification for biological nutrient removal: effect of different carbon sources

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Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that post-anoxic denitrification and biological nutrient removal could be achieved in the oxic/anoxic/extended-idle wastewater treatment regime. This study further investigated the effect of different carbon sources on post-anoxic denitrification and biological nutrient removal. Acetate, propionate (volatile fatty acids (VFAs)), glucose (carbohydrate), methanol, and ethanol (alcohol) were used as the sole carbon source, respectively. The experimental results showed that VFA substrates led to an improvement in nitrogen and phosphorus removal. The total nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiency values driven by acetate achieved 93 and 99 %, respectively. In contrast, glucose present in mixed liquor deteriorated total nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiency values to 72 and 54 %. In the reactors cultured with methanol and ethanol, 66 and 63 % of the total nitrogen were removed, and phosphorus removal efficiency values were 78 and 71 %, respectively. The mechanism studies revealed that different carbon sources affected the transformations of intracellular polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and glycogen. PHAs are the dominant storages for microorganisms cultured with VFA substrates. Though glycogen is not the favorable energy and carbon source for polyphosphate-accumulating organisms, it can be consumed by microorganisms related to biological nitrogen removal and is able to serve as the electron donor for post-anoxic denitrification.

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Acknowledgments

This research is based upon work supported by the project of the Hunan Provincial Innovation Foundation for Postgraduate (CX2014B140), the Shanghai Tongji Gao Tingyao Environmental Science and Technology Development Foundation (STGEF), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Nos. 51278175 and 51378188).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, China

    Hong-bo Chen, Dong-bo Wang, Xiao-ming Li, Qi Yang & Guang-ming Zeng

  2. Key Laboratory of Environmental Biology and Pollution Control (Hunan University), Ministry of Education, Changsha, 410082, China

    Hong-bo Chen, Qi Yang & Guang-ming Zeng

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  1. Hong-bo Chen
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  2. Dong-bo Wang
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  3. Xiao-ming Li
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  4. Qi Yang
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  5. Guang-ming Zeng
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Correspondence to Dong-bo Wang or Xiao-ming Li.

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Responsible editor: Gerald Thouand

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Chen, Hb., Wang, Db., Li, Xm. et al. Enhancement of post-anoxic denitrification for biological nutrient removal: effect of different carbon sources. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 5887–5894 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3755-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-014-3755-1

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