Autotrophic denitrification characteristics of urban wastewater treatment plant effluent driven by sodium thiosulfate siderite

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Abstract

Autotrophic denitrification has garnered increasing attention as it eliminates the dependency on external organic carbon sources. Addressing the challenge of elevated nitrate levels in the tailwater of urban wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), we proposed a sodium thiosulfate-siderite autotrophic denitrification (STSAD) biofilter for advanced nitrogen removal. The optimal operational parameters were an influent pH of 7.0, a temperature of 30°C, a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 2 hours, and a sodium thiosulfate dosage equivalent to 1.5 times the theoretical requirement. Under these conditions, the system achieved a nitrate (NO₃^--N) removal rate of 100% and a total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency exceeding 95%. Microbial analysis revealed significant biofilm enrichment on the ceramsite and siderite media, with Thiobacillus and Ferritrophicumidentified as the predominant denitrifying genera. This ensured that effluent TN and COD levels comply with discharge standards.

Keywords

tailwater from urban wastewater treatment plant / STSAD system / Sulfur/iron-driven autotrophic denitrification / Sulfur autotrophic denitrifying microbial population

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