Enhancing the efficiency of nitrogen removing bacterial population to a wide range of C:N ratio (1.5:1 to 14:1) for simultaneous C & N removal

High C:N ratio in the wastewater limits biological nitrogen removal (BNR), especially in anammox based technologies. The present study attempts to improve the COD tolerance of the BNR process by associating methanogens with nitrogen removing bacterial (NRB) populations. The new microbial system coined as 'Methammox', was investigated for simultaneous removal of COD (C) and ammonia (N) at C:N ratio 1.5:1 to 14:1. The ammonia removal rate (11.5 mg N/g VS S/d) and the COD removal rates (70.6 mg O/g VSS/d) of Methammox was close to that of the NRB (11.1 mg N/g VSS/d) and the methanogenic populations (77.9 mg O/g VSS/d), respectively. The activities established that these two populations existed simultaneously and independently in 'Methammox' Further studies in biofilm reactor fetched a balanced COD and ammonia removal (55%-60%) at a low C:N ratio (<= 2:1) and high C:N ratio (>= 9:1). The population abundance of methanogens was reasonably constant, but the nitrogen removal shifted from mixotrophy to heterotrophy as the C:N ratio shifted from low (C: N <= 2:1) to high (C:N >= 9:1). The reduced autotrophic NRB (ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria and Anammox) population at a high C:N ratio was compensated by the fermentative group that could carry out denitrification heterotrophically. The functional plasticity of the Methammox system to adjust to a broad C:N ratio opens new frontiers in biological nitrogen removal of high COD containing wastewaters. (C) Higher Education Press 2022

Automated summary

This study aims to enhance the COD tolerance of the biological nitrogen removal process by associating methanogens with nitrogen removing bacterial populations. A new microbial system called 'Methammox' was developed for simultaneous COD and ammonia removal at different C:N ratios. The results show that Methammox achieved comparable ammonia and COD removal rates to the nitrogen removing bacterial and methanogenic populations.