Abstract
The effect of aeration rate on nutrient removal from slaughterhouse wastewater was examined in two 10-L laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBRs—SBR1 and SBR2) operated at ambient temperature. The contaminants in the slaughterhouse wastewater had average concentrations of 4,000 mg chemical oxygen demand (COD) L−1, 350 mg total nitrogen (TN) L−1 and 26 mg total phosphorus (TP) L−1. The duration of a complete SBR operation cycle was 8 h and comprised four operational phases: fill (7 min), react (393 min), settle (30 min) and draw/idle (50 min). During the react phase, the reactors were intermittently aerated four times at 50-min intervals, 50 min each time. DO, pH and oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) in the reactors were real-time monitored. Four aeration rates—0.2 L air min−1 in SBR1 for 70 days, 0.4 L air min−1 in SBR1 for 50 days, 0.8 L air min−1 in SBR2 for 120 days and 1.2 L air min−1 in SBR1 for 110 days—were tested. When the aeration rate was 0.2 L air min−1, the SBR was continuously anaerobic. When the aeration rate was 0.4 L air min−1, COD and TP removals were 90% but TN removal was only 34%. When the aeration rates were 0.8 and 1.2 L air min−1, average effluent concentrations were 115 mg COD L−1, 19 mg TN L−1 and 0.7 mg TP L−1, giving COD, TN and TP removals of 97%, 95% and 97%, respectively. It was found that partial nitrification followed by denitrification occurred in the intermittently aerated SBR systems.
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Acknowledgements
This project is funded by the Irish EPA under the ERTDI programme (Project Reference Number: 2005-ET-MS-31-M3). The authors wish to thank Dr. Brian Donlon, EPA, and Mr. Brain Cloonan and Ms. Caroline Scanlan, Western Proteins, Co. Mayo, for their help and support.
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Li, J., Healy, M.G., Zhan, X. et al. Effect of Aeration Rate on Nutrient Removal from Slaughterhouse Wastewater in Intermittently Aerated Sequencing Batch Reactors. Water Air Soil Pollut 192, 251–261 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-008-9652-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-008-9652-9