Production of N₂O in two biologic nitrogen removal processes: a comparison between conventional and short-cut Nitrogen removal processes

Abstract

The N₂O production in two nitrogen removal processes treating domestic wastewater was investigated in laboratory-scale aerobic-anoxic sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). Results showed that N₂O emission happened in the aerobic phase rather than in the anoxic phase. During the aerobic phase, the nitrogen conversion to N₂O gas was 27.7% and 36.8% of \mathrm{N}{\mathrm{H}}_4^{+}‐\mathrm{N} loss for conventional biologic N-removal process and short-cut biologic N-removal process. The dissolved N₂O was reduced to N₂ in the anoxic denitrification phase. The N₂O production rate increased with the increasing of nitrite concentration and ceased when \mathrm{N}{\mathrm{H}}_4^{+}‐\mathrm{N} oxidation was terminated. Higher nitrite accumulation resulted in higher N₂O emission in the short-cut nitrogen removal process. Pulse-wise addition of 20 mg \mathrm{N}{\mathrm{O}}_2^{-}‐\mathrm{N}\cdot {\mathrm{L}}^{-1} gave rise to 3-fold of N₂O emission in the conventional N-removal process, while little change happened with 20 mg \mathrm{N}{\mathrm{O}}_3^{-}‐\mathrm{N}\cdot {\mathrm{L}}^{-1} was added to SBR1.

Keywords

conventional N-removal process / N₂O / short-cut N-removal process / nitrite accumulation / ammonia- oxidizing bacteria (AOB) denitrification

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