Effects of nitrite on phosphate uptake in anaerobic-oxic process

Abstract

An anaerobic-oxic (A/O) biological phosphorus removal reactor was operated to study the effect of nitrite on phosphate uptake. The phosphorus uptake profile was determined under different operating conditions. The results indicated that in addition to oxygen and nitrate (DPB_Na, nitrate denitrifying phosphorus removal), to some extent, nitrite could also serve as an electron acceptor to achieve nitrite denitrifying phosphorus removal (DPB_Ni). The quantity and rate of phosphorus uptake of DPB_Ni, however, were evidently lower than that of DPB_Na. The experiment results revealed that nitrite would bring toxic action to phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) when NO₂^--N"e93.7 mg/L. The nitrite existing in the anoxic reactor made no difference to the quantity and rate of denitrifying phosphorus removal, but it could reduce the consumption of nitrate. Moreover, the data showed that the aerobic phosphate uptake of DPB_Ni was lower than that of anaerobic phosphorus-released sludge in a traditional A/O process. However, there was not much difference between these two kinds of sludge in terms of the total phosphorus uptake quantity and the effluent quality.