Biological ammonium and sulfide oxidation in a nitrifying sequencing batch reactor: Kinetic and microbial population dynamics assessments.

A kinetic study was carried out in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) (125 mg NH4+-N/L) inoculated with a physiologically stable nitrifying sludge not previously acclimated to sulfur compounds and fed at different initial sulfide concentrations (2.5-20.0 mg HS--S/L). Up to 10.0 mg HS--S/L, the nitrifying process kept stable and complete, reaching an ammonium consumption efficiency (ENH4+) of 100% and a nitrate yield (YNO3-) of 0.95 ± 0.03 mg NO3--N/mg NH4+-N consumed. At 15.0 and 20.0 mg HS--S/L, after an initial alteration in the nitrite oxidizing process, the YNO2- was decreasing throughout the cycles and the YNO3- increasing, obtaining in the last cycle at 20.0 mg HS--S/L, an ENH4+ of 100%, a YNO2- of zero, and a YNO3- of 0.80 mg NO3--N/mg NH4+-N consumed. At the end of the period at 20.0 mg HS--S/L, the specific rates of ammonium consumption and nitrate formation were 15 and 55% lower than their respective values in the control period without sulfide addition, showing that the sludge had a better metabolic adaptation for ammonium oxidizing activity than for nitrite oxidizing activity. The sludge acquired a higher sulfide oxidation capacity along the cycles. Bacterial population dynamics assessment indicated that the ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) community was more diverse and stable than the nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) community. The use of consortia with a previously stabilized nitrifying activity in SBR may constitute an alternative for eliminating simultaneously ammonium by nitrification and sulfide by sulfide oxidation and be implemented for the treatment of wastewater with ammonium and sulfide.

Kinetic Constants for Biological Ammonium and Nitrite Oxidation Processes Under Sulfide Inhibition.

Inhibition of nitrification by sulfide was assessed using sludge obtained from a steady-state nitrifying reactor. Independent batch activity assays were performed with ammonium and nitrite as substrate, in order to discriminate the effect of sulfide on ammonium and nitrite oxidation. In the absence of sulfide, substrate affinity constants (K S,NH4 = 2.41 ± 0.11 mg N/L; K s, NO2 = 0.74 ± 0.03 mg N/L) and maximum specific rates (q max,NH4 = 0.086 ± 0.008 mg N/mg microbial protein h; q max,NO2 = 0.124 ± 0.001 mg N/mg microbial protein h) were determined. Inhibition of ammonium oxidation was no-competitive (inhibition constant (K i , NH4 ) of 2.54 ± 0.12 mg HS(-)-S/L) while inhibition of nitrite oxidation was mixed (competitive inhibition constant (K' i , NO2 ) of 0.22 ± 0.03 mg HS(-)-S/L and no-competitive inhibition constant (K i , NO2 ) of 1.03 ± 0.06 mg HS(-)-S/L). Sulfide has greater inhibitory effect on nitrite oxidation than ammonium oxidation, and its presence in nitrification systems should be avoided to prevent accumulation of nitrite. By simulating the effect of sulfide addition in a continuous nitrifying reactor under steady-state operation, it was shown that the maximum sulfide concentration that the sludge can tolerate without affecting the ammonium consumption efficiency and nitrate yield is 1 mg HS(-)-S/L.