Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effect of temperature on tertiary nitrogen removal from municipal wastewater in a PHBV/PLA-supported denitrification system

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this study, a poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)/poly(lactic acid) (PHBV/PLA)–supported denitrification system was built to remove nitrogen from municipal wastewater treatment plant secondary effluent, and the influence of operating temperature on nitrogen removal was further investigated. Results indicated that a PHBV/PLA-supported denitrification system could effectively fulfill the tertiary nitrogen removal. The nitrogen removal efficiency gradually declined with the operating temperature decreasing, and the denitrification rate at 30 °C was 5 times higher than that at 10 °C. Meanwhile, it was found that a slight TOC accumulation only occurred at 30 °C (with an average of 2.03 mg/L) and was avoided at 10~20 °C. The reason for effluent TOC variation was further explained through the consumption and generation pathways of TOC in this system. Furthermore, the temperature coefficient was about 0.02919, indicating that the PHBV/PLA-supported denitrification system was a little sensitive to temperature. A better knowledge of the effect of operating temperature will be significant for the practical application of the solid-phase denitrification system.

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

References

  • Agency SEP (2002): Discharge standard of pollutants for municipal wastewater treatment plant

  • Boley A, Muller WR (2005) Denitrification with polycaprolactone as solid substrate in a laboratory-scale recirculated aquaculture system. Water Sci Technol 52:495–502

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cameron SG, Schipper LA (2010) Nitrate removal and hydraulic performance of organic carbon for use in denitrification beds. Ecol Eng 36:1588–1595

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cameron SG, Schipper LA (2012) Hydraulic properties, hydraulic efficiency and nitrate removal of organic carbon media for use in denitrification beds. Ecol Eng 41:1−7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carrera J, Vicent T, Lafuente F (2003) Influence of temperature on denitrification of an industrial high-strength nitrogen wastewater in a two-sludge system. Water SA 29:11–16

  • Chu L, Wang J (2011) Nitrogen removal using biodegradable polymers as carbon source and biofilm carriers in a moving bed biofilm reactor. Chem Eng J 170:220–225

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chu L, Wang J (2016) Denitrification of groundwater using PHBV blends in packed bed reactors and the microbial diversity. Chemosphere 155:463–470

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Elefsiniotis P, Li D (2006) The effect of temperature and carbon source on denitrification using volatile fatty acids. Biochem Eng J 28:148–155

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hoover NL, Bhandari A, Soupir ML, Moorman TB (2016) Woodchip denitrification bioreactors: impact of temperature and hydraulic retention time on nitrate removal. J Environ Qual 45:803–812

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li P, Zuo J, Xing W, Tang L, Ye X, Li Z, Yuan L, Wang K, Zhang H (2013) Starch/polyvinyl alcohol blended materials used as solid carbon source for tertiary denitrification of secondary effluent. J Environ Sci 25:1972–1979

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li P, Zuo J, Wang Y, Zhao J, Tang L, Li Z (2016) Tertiary nitrogen removal for municipal wastewater using a solid-phase denitrifying biofilter with polycaprolactone as the carbon source and filtration medium. Water Res 93:74–83

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Luo G, Liu Z, Gao J, Hou Z, Tan H (2018) Nitrate removal efficiency and bacterial community of polycaprolactone-packed bioreactors treating water from a recirculating aquaculture system. Aquac Int 26:773–784

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruan YJ, Deng YL, Guo XS, Timmons MB, Lu HF, Han ZY, Ye ZY, Shi MM, Zhu SM (2016) Simultaneous ammonia and nitrate removal in an airlift reactor using poly(butylene succinate) as carbon source and biofilm carrier. Bioresour Technol 216:1004–1013

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sander EM, Virdis B, Freguia S (2017) Bioelectrochemical nitrogen removal as a polishing mechanism for domestic wastewater treated effluents. Water Sci Technol 76:3150–3159

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shen Z, Zhou Y, Hu J, Wang J (2013) Denitrification performance and microbial diversity in a packed-bed bioreactor using biodegradable polymer as carbon source and biofilm support. J Hazard Mater 250-251:431–438

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shen Z, Hu J, Wang J, Zhou Y (2014) Biological denitrification using starch/polycaprolactone blends as carbon source and biofilm support. Desalin Water Treat 54:609–615

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shen Z, Yin Y, Wang J (2016) Biological denitrification using poly(butanediol succinate) as electron donor. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 100:6047–6053

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sun H, Yang Z, Wei C, Wu W (2018) Nitrogen removal performance and functional genes distribution patterns in solid-phase denitrification sub-surface constructed wetland with micro aeration. Bioresour Technol 263:223–231

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Chu L (2016) Biological nitrate removal from water and wastewater by solid-phase denitrification process. Biotechnol Adv 34:1103–1112

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Wang J (2008) Removal of nitrate from groundwater by heterotrophic denitrification using the solid carbon source. Sci China Ser B 52:236−240

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Warneke S, Schipper LA, Bruesewitz DA, McDonald I, Cameron S (2011) Rates, controls and potential adverse effects of nitrate removal in a denitrification bed. Ecol Eng 37:511–522

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu W, Yang F, Yang L (2012) Biological denitrification with a novel biodegradable polymer as carbon source and biofilm carrier. Bioresour Technol 118:136–140

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu W, Yang L, Wang J (2013) Denitrification using PBS as carbon source and biofilm support in a packed-bed bioreactor. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20:333–339

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xing W, Li J, Li P, Wang C, Cao Y, Li D, Yang Y, Zhou J, Zuo J (2018) Effects of residual organics in municipal wastewater on hydrogenotrophic denitrifying microbial communities. J Environ Sci 65:262–270

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu Z, Chai X (2017) Effect of weight ratios of PHBV/PLA polymer blends on nitrate removal efficiency and microbial community during solid-phase denitrification. Int Biodeterior Biodegrad 116:175–183

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu Z, Dai X, Chai X (2018a) Effect of different carbon sources on denitrification performance, microbial community structure and denitrification genes. Sci Total Environ 634:195–204

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu Z, Dai X, Chai X (2018b) Effect of influent pH on biological denitrification using biodegradable PHBV/PLA blends as electron donor. Biochem Eng J 131:24–30

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu Z, Song L, Dai X, Chai X (2018c) PHBV polymer supported denitrification system efficiently treated high nitrate concentration wastewater: denitrification performance, microbial community structure evolution and key denitrifying bacteria. Chemosphere 197:96–104

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Z, Yang L, Wei C, Wu W, Zhao X, Lu T (2017) Enhanced nitrogen removal using solid carbon source in constructed wetland with limited aeration. Bioresour Technol 248:98–103

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ye L, Yu G, Zhou S, Zuo S, Fang C (2017) Denitrification of nitrate−contaminated groundwater in columns packed with PHBV and ceramsites for application as a permeable reactive barrier. Water Sci Tech−W Sup 17:1241−1248

  • Zhang Q, Ji F, Xu X (2016) Effects of physicochemical properties of poly-ε-caprolactone on nitrate removal efficiency during solid-phase denitrification. Chem Eng J 283:604–613

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang S, Sun X, Wang X, Qiu T, Gao M, Sun Y, Cheng S, Zhang Q (2018) Bioaugmentation with Diaphorobacter polyhydroxybutyrativorans to enhance nitrate removal in a poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)-supported denitrification reactor. Bioresour Technol 263:499–507

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng X, Zhang S, Zhang J, Huang D, Zheng Z (2018) Advanced nitrogen removal from municipal wastewater treatment plant secondary effluent using a deep bed denitrification filter. Water Sci Technol 77:2723–2732

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu SM, Deng YL, Ruan YJ, Guo XS, Shi MM, Shen JZ (2015) Biological denitrification using poly(butylene succinate) as carbon source and biofilm carrier for recirculating aquaculture system effluent treatment. Bioresour Technol 192:603–610

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Water Pollution Control and Treatment Science and Technology Major Project of China (No. 2017ZX07202002-05).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China

    Zhongshuo Xu, Xiaohu Dai & Xiaoli Chai

  2. Shanghai Fisheries Research Institute, Shanghai Fisheries Technical Extension Station, Shanghai, 200433, China

    Zhongshuo Xu

Authors
  1. Zhongshuo Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xiaohu Dai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xiaoli Chai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xiaoli Chai.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Xu, Z., Dai, X. & Chai, X. Effect of temperature on tertiary nitrogen removal from municipal wastewater in a PHBV/PLA-supported denitrification system. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 26893–26899 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05823-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05823-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation