[Nitrogen Removal Effect and Conversion Characteristics of Nitrous Oxide in Single-stage and Multi-stage A/O Processes].

The single-stage A/O and multi-stage A/O processes were simulated by sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) with alternate stirring and aeration. The removal efficiency of nitrogen and the release mechanism of N2O were studied under the identical conditions of influent quality, hydraulic retention time (HRT), sludge retention time(SRT), temperature and anoxic/oxic (A/O) retention time ratio. Experimental results showed that COD or ammonia-nitrogen removal had no significant difference between the single-stage and the multi-stage A/O processes for the influent quality equivalent to municipal wastewater. However, TN removal efficiency of the former was better than the later with 72.1% and 52.2%, respectively. In the conversion of total nitrogen, during the typical cycle in the single-stage A/O and multi-stage A/O processes, the yields of N2O were 16.95 mg and 3.95 mg, respectively. The conversion rate, which is the ratio of N2O yield and TN removal, was respectively 11.47% and 4.11%. N2O production and emission occurred mainly in aerobic (nitrification) phase while there was little N2O emission in anoxic (denitrification) phase. Although the dominant species of AOB was both Nitrosomonas in the single-stage A/O and the multi-stage A/O processes under the same operating conditions, it was more conducive to the growth of nitrifying bacteria (AOB, NOB) in the single-stage A/O process with the greater abundance of Nitrosomonas. Meanwhile, the type and abundance of NOB in the single-stage A/O process were significantly more than in the multi-stage A/O process too. Therefore, it is more competitive to deal with the high-strengthening ammonia-nitrogen wastewater in the single-stage A/O process. In the actual operation of wastewater treatment, using appropriate partitions of A/O or oxygen-supplying modes can not only result in better nitrogen removal but also decrease the secondary pollution caused by N2O to the atmosphere.

Nitrogen-removal performance and community structure of nitrifying bacteria under different aeration modes in an oxidation ditch.

Oxidation-ditch operation modes were simulated using sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) with alternate stirring and aerating. The nitrogen-removal efficiencies and nitrifying characteristics of two aeration modes, point aeration and step aeration, were investigated. Under the same air-supply capacity, oxygen dissolved more efficiently in the system with point aeration, forming a larger aerobic zone. The nitrifying effects were similar in point aeration and step aeration, where the average removal efficiencies of NH4(+) N were 98% and 96%, respectively. When the proportion of anoxic and oxic zones was 1, the average removal efficiencies of total nitrogen (TN) were 45% and 66% under point aeration and step aeration, respectively. Step aeration was more beneficial to both anoxic denitrification and simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND). The maximum specific ammonia-uptake rates (AUR) of point aeration and step aeration were 4.7 and 4.9 mg NH4(+)/(gMLVSS h), respectively, while the maximum specific nitrite-uptake rates (NUR) of the two systems were 7.4 and 5.3 mg NO2(-)-N/(gMLVSS h), respectively. The proportions of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) to all bacteria were 5.1% under point aeration and 7.0% under step aeration, and the proportions of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) reached 6.5% and 9.0% under point and step aeration, respectively. The dominant genera of AOB and NOB were Nitrosococcus and Nitrospira, which accounted for 90% and 91%, respectively, under point aeration, and the diversity of nitrifying bacteria was lower than under step aeration. Point aeration was selective of nitrifying bacteria. The abundance of NOB was greater than that of AOB in both of the operation modes, and complete transformation of NH4(+) N to NO3(-)-N was observed without NO2(-)-N accumulation.

[Optimization and comparison of nitrogen and phosphorus removal by different aeration modes in oxidation ditch].

The oxidation ditch operation mode was simulated by sequencing batch reactor (SBR) system with alternate stirring and aeration. The nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies were investigated in two different aeration modes: point aeration and step aeration. Experimental results show that oxygen is dissolved more efficiently in point aeration mode with a longer aerobic region in the same air supply capacity, but dissolved oxygen (DO) utilization efficiency for nitrogen and phosphorus removal is high in step aeration mode. Nitrification abilities of the two modes are equal with ammonia-nitrogen (NH4(+) -N) removal efficiency of 96.68% and 97.03%, respectively. Nitrifier activities are 4.65 and 4.66 mg x (g x h)(-1) respectively. When the ratio of anoxic zones and the aerobic zones were 1, the total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency of point aeration mode in 2, 4 or 7 partitions was respectively 60.14%, 47.93% and 33.7%. The total phosphorus (TP) removal efficiency was respectively 28.96%, 23.75% and 24.31%. The less the partitions, the higher the nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies, but it is in more favor of TN removal. As for step aeration mode with only one partitioning zone, the TN and TP removal efficiencies are respectively 64.21% and 49.09%, which is better than in point aeration mode, but more conducive to the improvement of TP removal efficiency. Under the condition of sufficient nitrification in step aeration mode, the nitrogen and phosphorus removal is better with the increase of anoxic zone. The removal efficiencies of TN and TP respectively rose to 73.94% and 54.18% when the ratio of anoxic zones and the aerobic zones was increased from 1 : 1 to 1. 8 : 1. As the proportion of anoxic zones was enlarged further, nitrification and operation stability were weakened so as to affect the nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiencies.