Mainstream anammox reactor performance treating municipal wastewater and batch study of temperature, pH and organic matter concentration cross-effects

The anammox process is an energy efficient promising alternative to biologically remove the nitrogen. Thus, a 5-L anammox granular reactor was inoculated with sludge coming from a sidestream partial nitritation and anammox reactor (>200 mg TN/L and 30 degrees C) and it was directly subjected to 15 +/- 1 degrees C treating mimicked municipal wastewater (50 mg TN/L). Results indicated that an acclimation period (commonly used) to progressive reach the mainstream conditions is not needed, shortening the start-up periods. The long-term anammox process stability was proved to treat synthetic wastewater with decreasing alkalinities and nitritified primary settled municipal wastewater. The low pH values (6.2 +/- 0.1) of the municipal wastewater fed did not affect the process stability. Residual organic matter concentrations augmented the nitrogen removal efficiency from 80 % (with the synthetic medium) to 92 % achieving effluent concentrations below 10 mg TN/L. Finally, the effect of pH (6-8), temperature (15-30 degrees C) and organic matter concentration (0-75 mg TOC/L) over the specific anammox activity (SA(Amx)) was evaluated at short-term. pH and temperature and their interactions exerted significant influence on the SAAmx value while the TOC concentrations itself did not significantly change the SA(AMX). (C) 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study demonstrated that the anammox process can operate under municipal wastewater conditions without the need for a common acclimation period, shortening startup time. Nitrogen removal efficiency can be improved by increasing residual organic matter concentrations, and the anammox activity is significantly influenced by pH and temperature.