Partial anammox achieved in full scale biofilm process for typical domestic wastewater treatment

Abstract

• A full scale biofilm process was developed for typical domestic wastewater treatment.

• The HRT was 8 h and secondary sedimentation tank was omitted.

• Candidatus Brocadia were enriched in the HBR with an abundance of 2.89%.

• Anammox enabled a stable ammonium removal of ~15% in the anoxic zone.

The slow initiation of anammox for treating typical domestic wastewater and the relatively high footprint of wastewater treatment infrastructures are major concerns for practical wastewater treatment systems. Herein, a 300 m³/d hybrid biofilm reactor (HBR) process was developed and operated with a short hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 8 h. The analysis of the bacterial community demonstrated that anammox were enriched in the anoxic zone of the HBR process. The percentage abundance of Candidatus Brocadia in the total bacterial community of the anoxic zone increased from 0 at Day 1 to 0.33% at Day 130 and then to 2.89% at Day 213. Based upon the activity of anammox bacteria, the removal of ammonia nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) in the anoxic zone was approximately 15%. This showed that the nitrogen transformation pathway was enhanced in the HBR system through partial anammox process in the anoxic zone. The final effluent contained 12 mg/L chemical oxygen demand (COD), 0.662 mg/L NH₄⁺-N, 7.2 mg/L total nitrogen (TN), and 6 mg/L SS, indicating the effectiveness of the HBR process for treating real domestic wastewater.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Full scale / Anammox / Domestic wastewater / Biofilm / Candidatus Brocadia

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